Along Came a Spider is not a bad movie all in all. It is just a generic movie and a pretty decent generic movie at that. Lets face it, every plot is based on clichés. What counts is how these clichés are used. The screenwriter's challenge is this: Can he blow enough smoke and juggle his mirrors in such a way as to make the viewer believe he is seeing something new or, at least, enjoy the same old crap? Shakespeare did it. Dickens did it. Stephen King has made a career out of it. The problem with Along Came a Spider is that no-frills clichés are all you get, basic and unadorned. The movie's ad campaign should have featured bare white posters, a bar code and the word `Thriller' printed in the middle. Okay, I overstate. You do get Morgan Freeman and Michael Wincott. Mr. Freeman has never given a bad performance and doesn't start with this film. Mr. Wincott is also very, very good. He makes you feel a little sorry for his character despite his murderous escapades. You rather want to comfort him when the inevitable problems start cropping up.
To make sure you are getting your moneys worth, the writers have thrown in a `Guaranteed Surprise Ending". Now some movies sport twist endings that are knockouts. These endings not only come as genuine surprises and are completely satisfying; they force you to reconsider everything that went before in the film. Think of The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects or The Crying Game. First, in all these movies the ending was prepared for. No matter how unexpected ultimately the twists make sense in the terms of the logic of the movie. Second, you recognize these movies as superior long before you reach the conclusion. Had The Sixth Sense ended five minutes before it did you still would have remembered the performances, the genuinely scary moments and the fantastic plot. The twist came as icing on an already fine cake. Along Came A Spider has a surprise ending because, well, 'Thrillers' have `Surprise Endings'. That's all. You probably won't guess it, but even so you won't be all that surprised. You will realize that since because such and such happens, the movie can only end in two or three different ways. Like the rest of the movie the twist is mechanical and non-descript. It's satisfying enough but it operates more as a punctuation mark than anything else.
This sounds like a pretty negative review - and I guess it is. In fairness I should say I enjoyed myself watching it. A predictable experience is not necessarily a bad experience. Sometimes all you want is a no frills `Thriller'. You have a taste in your mouth for guns and psychopaths and you've already seen Hannibal, so what do you do? Sure, a movie that sautés it's clichés with a bit more sauce and spice would be preferable, but if your only other option is a Matlock rerun, Along Came A Spider looks pretty darn good!
To make sure you are getting your moneys worth, the writers have thrown in a `Guaranteed Surprise Ending". Now some movies sport twist endings that are knockouts. These endings not only come as genuine surprises and are completely satisfying; they force you to reconsider everything that went before in the film. Think of The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects or The Crying Game. First, in all these movies the ending was prepared for. No matter how unexpected ultimately the twists make sense in the terms of the logic of the movie. Second, you recognize these movies as superior long before you reach the conclusion. Had The Sixth Sense ended five minutes before it did you still would have remembered the performances, the genuinely scary moments and the fantastic plot. The twist came as icing on an already fine cake. Along Came A Spider has a surprise ending because, well, 'Thrillers' have `Surprise Endings'. That's all. You probably won't guess it, but even so you won't be all that surprised. You will realize that since because such and such happens, the movie can only end in two or three different ways. Like the rest of the movie the twist is mechanical and non-descript. It's satisfying enough but it operates more as a punctuation mark than anything else.
This sounds like a pretty negative review - and I guess it is. In fairness I should say I enjoyed myself watching it. A predictable experience is not necessarily a bad experience. Sometimes all you want is a no frills `Thriller'. You have a taste in your mouth for guns and psychopaths and you've already seen Hannibal, so what do you do? Sure, a movie that sautés it's clichés with a bit more sauce and spice would be preferable, but if your only other option is a Matlock rerun, Along Came A Spider looks pretty darn good!