Along Came a Spider (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

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

Color:

Color

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:

This film was made after Kiss the Girls (1997). But in the books, "Along Came a Spider" was set before "Kiss the Girls".

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Cross and Flannigan arrive at Chesapeake Bay to investigate the scene of the murdered fisherman, mountains are visible in the background. There are no mountains at all in that region.

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:

Referenced in "The King of Queens: Dougie Nights (#4.15)" (2002)

C+

"Along Came a Spider", with Freeman leading the way as a super sleuth cop who sets about to solve the kidnapping of a Senator's daughter, is strictly Hollywood formula film-making. The flick follows the rules, lacks in creativity, twists and turns a little in the middle, and provides a modicum of entertainment. With the always good Freeman and the always delicious Potter in the foreground, there's little to fault and little to rave about in this middle-of-the-road thriller.