DVD Movie Rating for: Along Came A Spider

3 out of 5

Movie Plot of: Along Came A Spider

A girl is kidnapped from a school by one of the teachers. She turns out to be the daughter of a senator, and the kidnapper soon makes a call to a police officer whose partner died eight months ago, involving him in the kidnapping. One of the secret service people that failed to protect the girl at the school decides to help him. But not everything is what is seems, and many surprising twists follows as the two attempt to catch the spider.

The daughter of a senator has been kidnapped. The kidnapper then calls police detective and forensic psychologist, Alex Cross. Cross then goes and tries to help them find the girl. He is aided by the secret service agent who was assigned to protect the girl. But there's a lot more going on.

DVD Production Details of: Along Came A Spider

Cast of the movie: Along Came A Spider

• 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
• 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

Photo Gallery of the movie: Along Came A Spider

Reviews of the movie: Along Came A Spider

After an obligatory prologue in which its detective hero suffers a tragic professional setback, Along Came a Spider sets about its business of luring the viewer into its nefarious plot, relying on the magician's technique of misdirection to reveal a double-whammy surprise. The clever, late-coming plot twist is a bit too mechanical but effectively unexpected, making this a satisfying prequel to the hit thriller Kiss the Girls--based on the first of James Patterson's Alex Cross detective novels--and a welcomed addition to a promising movie franchise. It's no better or worse than a good vintage episode of Peter Falk's Columbo, adhering closely to the mystery-thriller's time-honored traditions, but with Morgan Freeman settling comfortably into his role as seasoned sleuth Alex Cross, familiar formula is given fresh vitality.

When a senator's daughter is kidnapped from her high-security private school, the kidnapper (nicely played by the underrated Michael Wincott) draws Cross into the case, knowing that the psychologist-detective's involvement will bring high-profile publicity. Cross partners with the Secret Service agent (Monica Potter) who botched her assignment, but wait... the movie's got a rabbit in its hat... and that rabbit has an ace up its sleeve... and director Lee Tamahori (who brought similar intensity to The Edge) handles the sleight-of-hand with slick precision, dispensing just enough information to keep the viewer off guard without resorting to cheap manipulation. Don't look for much depth of character here, but Along Came a Spider is well served by everyone involved. It's the movie equivalent of a bestseller you'd impulsively buy at the grocery-store checkout, and on those terms it succeeds.

Makes its point, but something is still missing
While this was supposed to be a continuation of Kiss the Girls, it seemed to represent a microcosm of its own universe as opposed to being a follow-up to the previous film. Morgan Freeman does an excellent job as Cross, but their seemed to be a rushed quality about this film. Sure, the action was fairly well paced and their proved to be plenty of intrigue, the ending just felt a little out of place, like it was randomly added in. Nonetheless, the film was pretty solid. Michael Wincott gave a great performance in this film, and let's just hope he can keep finding some work.