Along Came a Spider (2001)

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writers (WGA):

James Patterson (novel)
Marc Moss (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 April 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Mystery | Drama

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 | Sequel | Disguise | Telephone Box | Ransom

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)
Masque de l'araignée, Le (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Canada

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES

Certification:

Malaysia:U (cut version) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Australia:M (TV rating) | Canada:14A | 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 (certificate #37942) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

AZL Productions KG

Trivia:

The ending for the film was re-shot due to poor test audience reception.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While going through the files on the computer at Megan's desk, Agent Hickley describes GIFs to Dr. Cross as being made up of billions of ones and zeros. In fact, even just one billion binary bits (ones and zeros) would be over 100 megabytes - at least a hundred times the size of typical GIF images.

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)

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.