Along Came a Spider...

Considering how much it costs to make a movie, providing a script that has some logic to it isn't in the expense account. This is an old movie, I know, but I watched Along Came A Spider with Morgan Freeman. Freeman is always good, but seems miscast as the forensic psychologist, Alex Cross. Freeman, who turned 71 a couple of months ago, was in his early 60s when he made this movie, so he provided a calm character in line with his maturity, but I'm not sure that under the circumstances presented by the plot he'd be so calm.


As I read critiques of the film I noticed there were several who commented on how it was cobbled together with familiar scenes. The kidnapper making him run from pay phone to pay phone was an example. I saw it for the first time in Dirty Harry in 1971. I've seen it since. The cell phone, even in 2001 when Along Came A Spider was released, was everywhere. Why not give us an update? Have the kidnapper tell Dr. Cross, "You've got 20 minutes to get to the train station. I'm going to call your cell number and you have to prove it." The kidnapper could write some graffiti ahead of time that Freeman would have to read back to him to prove he's reached the spot. Anyway, I yawned through that running-around scene.

Besides that familiar schtick, the whole plot was contrived. The kidnapper, Mr. Soneji--and I had to check my closed captioning to see the spelling of that name--was a man in disguise. He worked at an exclusive school for a couple of years, setting up the kidnapping of a senator's daughter, while wearing fake whiskers, make-up, a wig and appliances to change his face. I noticed it the first time they showed him. Howcum the folks in the school didn't? It's what Roger Ebert calls an "idiot plot," where to advance the plot the characters have to be idiots not to see something the audience can clearly see.

One bright spot was Monica Potter, an actress I hadn't seen before. If I had I hadn't noticed her. Sorry, Monica. I think she was chosen not only because she's pretty and a good actress, but because of a superficial resemblance to Julia Roberts.

C'mon. Tell me it doesn't hurt to remind an audience of someone else. The bright spot got tarnished because we were forced to make a 90-degree turn with her character, Jezzie, and see her become something unexpected. I thought next to the disguised kidnapper, the Jezzie character was the next most illogical aspect of the story. I sure did enjoy looking at Monica, though.

Like most thrillers, most of the money that goes on the screen is spent on an A-list actor, in this case Freeman, a setting, special effects, and the last thing considered is, "When the audience walks out of the theater or turns off the DVD player, will be start picking away at the holes in the plot?" That's sure what happened here.