Along Came a Spider

Day 171 - 6/20/09 - Movie #170

BEFORE: The sequel to "Kiss the Girls" - apparently novelist James Patterson has a thing for taking titles from nursery rhymes. His other Alex Cross books include "Roses Are Red", "Jack & Jill" and "Pop Goes the Weasel" - can "Humpty Dumpty - the Movie" be far behind? Third movie in my Morgan Freeman mini-fest within Cop Week.

THE PLOT: A congressman's daughter 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.

AFTER: If I read crime novels (which I don't, mostly I stick to Star Wars novels and trivia books), I'd totally check out this Patterson fellow. These crime stories are a little clunky, but very realistic, not flashy like "Die Hard" or other blockbuster-y films - which may explain why only a couple of his books have been adapted into films. I realize that a good thriller should have a lot of twists and turns, but this had maybe one too many for my taste.

Supporting work this time by character actors Dylan Baker, and F.O.H. Jay O. Sanders makes another appearance. And it pays to read the credits - the young son of the Russian premier is played by Anton Yelchin, who grew up to play the new Chekhov in the recent "Star Trek" film.

RATING: 6 out of 10 payphones