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ALEX CROSSMovie Reviews
Action thriller about a young homicide detective/psychologist who is pushed to the edge of his moral and psychological limits as he tries to catch a serial killer. Cast:Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Giancarlo Esposito, Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno, Edward Burns, John C. McGinley, Yara Shahidi, Chad Lindberg, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Stadulis, Stephanie Jacobsen, Ingo Rademacher, Jessalyn WanlimDirector:Rob CohenRelease Date:October 19, 2012DVD Release:February 5, 2013From:LionsgateRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 41 min.
Alex Cross played to poor reviews. • David Germain wrote for the Associated Press, "...a movie built on bad ideas... Tyler Perry has little allure... the standard-issue cop-vs.-serial-killer story presents Cross as more of a dopey psycho-babbler..." More Reviews Below...
Alex Cross Positive Reviews (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: POOR "...the movie is ugly in spirit and looks.... The dialogue is often laughable, the cinematography garish and the editing mortifyingly unsubtle..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 10/18/12
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...a movie built on bad ideas... Tyler Perry has little allure... the standard-issue cop-vs.-serial-killer story presents Cross as more of a dopey psycho-babbler..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 10/18/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "...so cloddish, slapdash, gracelessly written, and visually fugly that it's difficult to distinguish Perry's limitations in the role from those of the whole unpleasant enterprise."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 10/20/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "While the action is slack and uninvolving and the look of the film is grubby, it's the rote tale of Alex Cross vs. the artistic serial killer that most disappoints."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 10/18/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a disjointed thriller with two many characters rattling around.... the film would perhaps have been much improved with Medea in the title role."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 10/19/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "...one of the most ridiculous, laughable and dim-bulbed serial killer thrillers in recent memory or ever.... the story is abominable."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 10/18/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "To its credit, the screenplay does a few unexpected things. For the most part, however, it's a standard order police procedural... it follows a predictable trajectory."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 794 words, 10/18/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: POOR "A grim, dispiritingly stupid waste of time, energy, money, talent... The ineptitude can't be pinned only on Mr. Perry... the movie would present a challenge for any actor..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 10/19/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Matthew Fox is stuck playing an underwritten villain... he goes way overboard, filling in the gaps with a twitchy, eye-bulging performance worthy of a Razzie Award."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 10/19/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cross has a really bad temper, really big guns and really bad dialogue. He will use all of them excessively if pushed... an out-of-control roller coaster ride..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/19/12
Sara Stewart, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...a mess.... Rob Cohen squanders a surprisingly recognizable cast on a half-baked plot.... If you're squeamish, consider yourself warned."(See all of Sara Stewart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 10/19/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: POOR(cg) "...blindly stumbling, dunderheaded.... Rob Cohen directs so sloppily that the stuntmen look like stuffed dummies, and the script is a stew of undercooked ideas..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 10/19/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: WEAK "Playing things straight, Perry's a dull actor... The film is coarse, punishing, and, in all the ways that matter, conscienceless, but it's about a loving father and husband..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 10/19/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a disjointed thriller with two many characters rattling around.... the film would perhaps have been much improved with Medea in the title role."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 10/19/12
Eric Hynes, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a strong candidate for dumbest film of the year... there's not a moment that doesn't function splendidly as comedy.... Tyler Perry must have felt right at home."(See all of Eric Hynes's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 10/24/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...trite... Perry's ambition is admirable, but he simply doesn't have the acting chops to pull off a character as complicated as Cross..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 10/19/12
Adam Nayman, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "Stripped down to his undershirt or brandishing an assault rifle, Tyler Perry looks both incongruous and ridiculous - an icon out of water.... a dismal attempt."(See all of Adam Nayman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 10/19/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Tyler Perry simply isn't up to the challenge.... I've never seen a movie so eager to cut away from its leading man.... the whole thing feels doomed from the start."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 10/18/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...some of the film's tone of strained seriousness is cut by moments of genuine humor, even if some of it is unintentional... it isn't meant to be analyzed too deeply."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 10/19/12
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...shockingly incompetent... massively confused about everything - what kind of mood it wants to sustain, what kind of character Cross is."(See all of Gary Thompson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 400 words, 10/19/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...overwrought, oppressively violent... From its cliché opening -- an irrelevant gun battle and chase -- to its derivative climax, this is a film with decades of dust on it."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 10/19/12
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Picture Alan Alda in the title role of 'Dirty Harry,' and you have a good idea why Tyler Perry playing a hard-edged cop doesn't work."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 263 words, 10/19/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...it's greedy to want thematic ambition from a movie this badly made. Two minutes of even competent camerawork during the climactic showdown is asking too much."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 10/19/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: POOR(cg) "Tyler Perry's supposed to be its center. And as an actor -- certainly as a movie star -- he's absolutely nowhere to be found."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 10/19/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a good example of what a seriously talented director can do with a heaping pile of garbage... the story, to its detriment, goes to places that are downright disheartening."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 10/19/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a grim yet silly piece of work, even as serial-killer thrillers go... blandly competent but never interesting; a movie without a spark."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 343 words, 10/19/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: POOR(cg) "...stunningly perfunctory, soul-crushingly oblivious to its own lack of originality, and, to be blunt, just plain dumb. Not much of this is Perry's fault."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 10/19/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: POOR(cg) "Why is a talented fellow like Ed Burns stuck as the sidekick to an actor whose emotional range makes William Shatner seem like William Shakespeare?"(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 10/19/12
Eric Hynes, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a strong candidate for dumbest film of the year... there's not a moment that doesn't function splendidly as comedy.... Tyler Perry must have felt right at home."(See all of Eric Hynes's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 10/24/12
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...a total trainwreck.... a movie you drunkenly watch with friends and make fun of, but I'm not sure that it even has enough entertainment value to make that work."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 10/18/12
Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...when a tragic turn of events finds Cross seeking bloody revenge, and Perry shifts into full-on badass mode... well, the best that can be said is that he's sincere."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 10/18/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "Even if you can forgive a couple of continuity problems, you have to wonder if anyone read this script before he -- or infinitely more disturbingly, she -- signed on."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 10/19/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "...when not in drag and playing the outsized role of Madea, Perry's a recessive screen presence, appearing a little uncomfortable in his own body, awkward..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 813 words, 10/18/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: POOR(cg) "...shallow, cowardly, and violent... unmistakably misogynistic and irksome... the film proves to be truly careless and hypocritical in its view of violence..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 10/17/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Tyler Perry simply isn't up to the challenge.... I've never seen a movie so eager to cut away from its leading man.... the whole thing feels doomed from the start."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 10/18/12
Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "Matthew Fox as his creepy nemesis and Ed Burns as his sidekick, along with tons of action sequences, help diffuse the spotlight on Perry's shortcomings..."(See all of Edward Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 859 words, 10/18/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...for those who remember Mr. Freeman in the role -- and who remember what a decent movie looks like -- 'Alex Cross' is the pits if not quite the sewer."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 10/19/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: POOR "A grim, dispiritingly stupid waste of time, energy, money, talent... The ineptitude can't be pinned only on Mr. Perry... the movie would present a challenge for any actor..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 10/19/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: WEAK "Perry and Fox's combat would look hopelessly mismatched, except that Rob Cohen shot and edited it so incoherently; camera movements are more violent than the blows."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 10/18/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cross has a really bad temper, really big guns and really bad dialogue. He will use all of them excessively if pushed... an out-of-control roller coaster ride..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/19/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: MODERATE "The cross-dressing 'Madea' star seems out of his depth playing the hard-boiled detective.... director Rob Cohen seems to be off his game here.... bland..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 10/15/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "Perry can't elevate this lackluster thriller.... An unpleasant film from the sadistic behavior of its loathsome villain to the grubbiness of its visual palette..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 10/16/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: POOR "Cross has a really bad temper, really big guns and really bad dialogue. He will use all of them excessively if pushed... an out-of-control roller coaster ride..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/19/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: POOR "A grim, dispiritingly stupid waste of time, energy, money, talent... The ineptitude can't be pinned only on Mr. Perry... the movie would present a challenge for any actor..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 10/19/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...for those who remember Mr. Freeman in the role -- and who remember what a decent movie looks like -- 'Alex Cross' is the pits if not quite the sewer."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 10/19/12
16.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Alex Cross's reviews are separated by an average 16.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Alex Cross (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Alex Cross's reviews cover 81.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,767 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 517 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Alex Cross Coverage, Volume & Length (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 18.1 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Alex Cross's reviews on average broke 18.1 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Alex Cross's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Alex Cross (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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