TheAlex Crossfranchise is based on the book series by famous crime thriller author James Patterson. With 34 novels and counting, and dating back to 1993, audiences are undoubtedly hooked on the titular character, a forensic psychologist, D.C. police officer, widower, and father. He must protect himself, his family, and the city from criminal threats. While fighting off criminals determined to kill him, maintaining good relationships with his children, and navigating a messy personal life, Cross has his hands full throughout the series. With so much material available, there is obviously plenty of content for filmmakers and showrunners to pull from.
The latest adaptation is the simply titledCross, a streaming series for Prime Video that has received positive reviews and a lot of praise for Aldis Hodge’s eponymous performance, in particular. Before the development ofCross, three features were made based on the Alex Cross books. With the lead character played by both Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, here’s how they fared, and howCrossstands with them.
4Alex Cross (2012)
Alex Cross
As it turns out, the most recent Alex Cross movie is undoubtedly the worst. Released in 2012 with Tyler Perry in the lead,Alex Crossperformed so poorly that a planned sequel calledDouble Crosswas scrapped.Alex Crossfocuses on investigating a murder committed by a killer dubbed Picasso (Matthew Fox). Along with his partner, Detective Tommy Kane (Edward Burns), Cross works tirelessly to capture the bad guy, only further motivated when the crimes become personal.
Perry’s Version of Alex Cross Was Lambasted
Alex Crossbarely broke even at the box office, and the script, directing, acting, and even the tagline on the movie poster (“Don’t ever cross Alex Cross”) were panned. Perry received a Razzie Award for Worst Actor, and a review fromRoger Ebertviciously suggested that “Alex Crosswould have been much more improved with Madea in the title role,” referring toPerry’s well-known comedic character. With the extensive gap between the previous release in 2001 and this one, along with the switch from Paramount Pictures to Lionsgate films and the replacement of Freeman with Perry,Alex Crosswas clearly an attempt to reignite interest from the public but failed to do so.
3Along Came a Spider (2001)
Along Came a Spider
Along Came a Spider follows detective and author Alex Cross, who is drawn out of retirement to investigate the kidnapping of a senator’s daughter. Partnered with a Secret Service agent, Cross unravels a complex web of clues revealing the kidnapper’s motives extend beyond ransom.
The second Alex Cross film,Along Came a Spider, featured acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman in the lead. With a narrative independent from the first film, it follows Cross' investigation into the kidnapping of a Senator’s daughter by a man named Soneji (Michael Wincott), also known as “The Spider.” While grieving the loss of his partner in an undercover operation gone wrong, Cross must set aside his personal issues in order to capture the kidnapper and save the girl. Screenwriter Marc Moss adapted the screenplay from James Patterson’s book of the same name, choosing to change significant elements of the story, including parts of Cross' personal life, the background and motivation of the suspect, and the result of the case. He should’ve stuck with the book…
Morgan Freeman Was The Only Bright Spot in Along Came a Spider
Though a commercial success, grossing $105.2 million against a $28 million budget,Along Came a Spiderwas not well-received by critics. The movie was described as overplotted and filled with boring, exposition-heavy dialogue. It had weirdly glaring logical holes in the story, and reduced its supposedly genius main character to a predictable and formulaic hero. However, Freeman was still highly and widely praised for his performance and was even nominated for a NAACP award for his portrayal. With yet another astute observation,Roger Ebertsummed up his opinion by saying, “Maybe actors should be given Oscars, not for the good films they triumph in, but for the weak films they survive.”
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2Kiss the Girls (1997)
The very first Alex Cross movie,Kiss the Girls, is undoubtedly the best of the film adaptations, though not necessarily a hit. Adopting a neo-noir style reminiscent of Freeman’s previous film,Se7en, but not nearly as successfully, director Gary Fleder brought Alex Cross to the screen for the very first time. Morgan Freeman thrives in his depiction of Cross as he investigates a man called Casanova who is guilty of abducting women, including Cross' college-aged niece and Dr. Kate McTiernan, played by Ashley Judd.
Kiss the Girls was the Best-Received of the Alex Cross Films
As a thriller,Kiss the Girlsreceived mixed reviews. Some critics found the story discordant and a bit dragged out. However, others were much more favorable, crediting the screenwriter David Klass with dialogue that was more well-written than usually found in the thriller genre and congratulating the depth of the main characters. Freeman and Judd were both touted for their performances and the energy and honesty with which they acted. As only the second feature film from Feldman,Kiss the Girlssucceeded in telling a compelling story and, maybe more importantly, in being the first to bring Alex Cross off the page. It seems to have struck a chord with new audiences as well, withthe thriller storming the Netflix chartswhen it became available to stream in June 2024.
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1’Cross' (2024)
Cross follows the titular Alex Cross, a detective and forensic psychologist particularly adept at understanding and analyzing the minds of killers and their victims. Cross uses this prowess to bring murderers to justice.
In November 2024, Amazon Prime Video released an original series calledCross, adapted from Patterson’s books. With Aldis Hodge playing Alex Cross, audiences see a very different take on the character than in previous iterations.MovieWeb’s Greg Archer really enjoyed the series, writing in his review, “Crossis a vigorous, pulse-pounding ride, stitched together with a brooding and curiously achy creative thread as it tracks Hodge as detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross desperately hunting down a killer. It’s some of Hodge’s best work, in fact, and a character perfectly suited to his acting talents.”
The first season focuses on his adjustment to life after the death of his wife and the investigation into the murder of a Black Lives Matter activist. The tension between a white police chief, a Black detective, and a divided public heightens the on-screen tension. Screenwriter Ben Watkins spoke toGeeks of Colorabout why the show decided to take on a racially-centered story:
“In this day and age, if you’re doing a character journey about a Black detective, you can’t tiptoe around the fact that there are questions about social and economic justice and racial justice, and there’s even a conversation going on that we’re all aware of between law enforcement and the Black community. And if you want to be honest in your storytelling, you can’t tiptoe around that.”
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Cross' Success Has Reignited Interest in the Alex Cross Character
This attempt to bring this character into the present by exploring the real-world issues he would face in his job today lends a level of authenticity to the show and is in stark contrast to how Alex Cross was depicted in the films of yesteryear. In fact, even authorJames Patterson complimented the show’s edgier portrayal.
In the short time that the Amazon showCrosshas been available, it has been commended for its topical subject matter and enthralling mysteries. Audiences have boasted about its binge-ability and congratulated Hodge on driving the narrative forward. Even author. More than your run-of-the-mill crime drama, the seriesproves that there was always potential for this character to thrive on-screen, captivating fans old and new. Luckily,Crosshas already been renewed for Season 2.
