Along Came a Spider (2001)

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writers (WGA):

James Patterson (novel)
Marc Moss (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 April 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The game is far from over.

Plot:

A congressman's daughter under Secret Service protection is kidnapped from a private school by an insider who calls Det. Alex Cross, sucking him into the case even though he's recovering from the loss of his partner.

Plot Keywords:

School | Partner | Secret Service | Kidnapping | Police Detective

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Morgan Freeman	...	Alex Cross
Monica Potter	...	Jezzie Flannigan
Michael Wincott	...	Gary Soneji
Dylan Baker	...	Ollie McArthur
Mika Boorem	...	Megan Rose
Anton Yelchin	...	Dimitri Starodubov
Kimberly Hawthorne	...	Agent Hickley (as Kim Hawthorne)
Jay O. Sanders	...	Kyle Craig
Billy Burke	...	Ben Devine
Michael Moriarty	...	Senator Hank Rose
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Elizabeth Rose
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Vickie
Scott Heindl	...	Floyd the Fisherman
Christopher Shyer	...	Jim
Jill Teed	...	Tracie

Also Known As:

Im Netz der Spinne (Germany)
Le masque de l'araignée (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Canada

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 (TV version) (slightly cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Australia:M (TV rating) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (NO. 37942) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The scene where Alex Cross pays the kidnapper by throwing the bag containing the ransom from the window of a transit train is taken from James Patterson's novel "Roses Are Red", which starred Alex Cross investigating another of his "best enemies", Kyle Craig, aka "The Mastermind".

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Alex accesses Jezzie's computer he is prompted for a password. When he enters the password we see the actual characters he is typing where in actual fact, most Windows-based programmes would only display a line of asterisks.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tracie: Tonight was your first night at the club, wasn't it?
Jim: No. I've been there a few times before.
Tracie: Really? Well, how come I haven't seen you?
Jim: I noticed you the first night I walked in. You always stand out.

Movie Connections:

References The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Along Came A Plot Twist

Precocious kids, computers, and a famous kidnapping figure into this elaborate thriller set in Washington, D.C. A guilt-ridden detective (Morgan Freeman) and his Secret Service partner (Monica Potter) try to catch a psycho who abducts the child of a prominent family. The film is aimed at viewers who like crime puzzles and mind games. There's lots of action and dark suspense.

The film's underlying concept is fascinating and clever. But the screenplay overlays the ingenious concept with implausible, and at times confusing, plot twists. After my second viewing I still had unanswered questions.

The screenplay had another weakness. At least seven times, it used TV news coverage of the abduction to advance the plot. Relying on TV news reporting is a stale and tiresome plot device that detracts from any film, in my opinion. Here, its repetitiveness made it even more irritating.

The film's characters were not particularly interesting. Freeman's Alex Cross was dull and plodding; Potter's Jezzie Flannigan was nasal and humorless. And the melodramatic music was manipulative and too loud.

"Along Came A Spider" does have entertainment value, derived from its suspenseful action, and cloak and dagger intrigue, enhanced by excellent cinematography and good set design. I just wish that the film's screenplay had been as clever as the concept upon which the screenplay was based.