Alex Cross / Rated PG-13 for violence, torture, nudity, sex, car crashes, explosions, and some other bad stuff.
The title of this film and the main character are one and the same. AC is a forensic detective. He has been the subject of many successful novels and at least two prior films. Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001) starred Morgan Freeman as the thinking man-of-action detective. After 2001 the novels continued but the movies stopped coming. Until now.
The new AC is Tyler Perry. Primarily known for his two TV series and his multiple characterizations in films. His most famous role is as Medea, female extraordinaire. Now TP wants to shed the dress and become a man of action. His partner is played by Edward Norton. Since I have not viewed any of the Tyler Perry films or seen his TV series, no pre-conceived expectations on my part. The only film with TP that I saw was Star Trek (2009) in which he appeared as a Star Fleet Admiral.
In AC, the detectives are taking on a new super assassin and master torturer know as Picasso. He is Picasso because he leaves drawings as clues that look like they were done by the original Picasso. Dead describes anybody and everybody who messes with Picasso the killer. He is played by Matthew Fox who was the primary star of the successful TV series Lost which ran from 2004 to 2010 and should have probably stopped about 2008 when they began running out of ideas. Matthew was the nice Doctor fellow and romantic lead. He is now the young version of Hannibal Lecter. He is tough, resilient, highly skilled and a good artist who loves to torture. Why he is doing what he is doing is the mystery. We get the answer at the end of the film when the mystery is solved. Until then, Picasso reigns terror on the city of Detroit and everybody he encounters along the way.
As thrillers go this one is fairly routine. If you liked the first two films with Morgan Freeman you will probably enjoy this one. TP does a good acting job, although pausing too often to admire dresses in showroom windows. Matthew Fox steals the show just as Anthony Hopkins did in the Hannibal Lecter role. Veteran actor Jean Reno also has an important part.
Remember the warning. This film has graphic images of death and torture. This film is not for the squeamish. Art lovers might also take offense.
Rated 2.5 out of 4.0 reasons that in the next film Morgan Freeman may come back. Maybe not.