Don't Cross Me: Along Came A Spider (2001)

 A new Month brings us a new Alex Cross Film.  It is crazy to think that Patterson has written so many Cross Novels, but there are only 3 Films.  Weird.

This is Along Came A Spider, the 2001 Film Adaptation of the first Cross Book.
Well, it actually changes so many things that it is not *really* an Adaptation. 
Joy- another one for my Fiction vs. Fiction List.

The Plot involves the kidnapping of a Senator's Daughter, a Screenwriter who doesn't know how the Secret Service works and Alex Cross being brought in under unique circumstances to help save the day.  Can he team up with a different woman- not a previous victim this time- to solve another case?

The Film was Directed by Lee Tamahori, a guy with a very diverse Filmography, in both style and quality.  Besides this, he made everyone's favorite Bond Film- Die Another Day- as well as everyone's favorite Phillip K. Dick adaptation- Next- and everyone's favorite '00s Sequel- xXx: State of the Union.  In contrast to those, however, he also made a respected Film or two like The Edge and The Devil's Double.

Speaking of connections, he took over State of the Union when Rob Cohen dropped out and then Rob Cohen made Cross in 2012.  What a small world.

Well, that was fun.  Now here's...

Cross is working with his Partner in stopping a killer from presumably another Book's Story.

It goes wrong when her cover is blown, the obviously CG Car flies off of a dam and she dies.

Meanwhile, a Teacher manages to knock out and kidnap the Daughter of a Senator, even eluding the Secret Service...who don't actually watch Senator's kids.

This setup does give us the first Poor Bastard of Cinema for me to induct from this Film though.

The kidnapper sends one of the girl's shoes to Cross, who is moping about and trying to stay busy to avoid going back to work after the death of his Not in the Book Partner.

In the Film, he wants Cross to work the case due to his fame (since he wants to be a famous Criminal).
In the Book, he's got 'split personalities' (it was written in 1993, to be fair).

We briefly see Cross' Boss from the last Film just long enough for Cross to get put on the case by Dylan Baker.

The Senator- Michael Moriarty- so you know that this was shot in Canada- is the usual blustering jerk, while the Wife is all 'Just save our Daughter.'

He has to work with the Secret Service Agent who failed to protect the girl.

The kidnapper seems to want to be famous, making sure to spell it out for Cross and the Audience that he was inspired by Richard Bruno Hauptman, who kidnapped Charles Lindbergh's baby.

He makes another move as he tries to kidnap a Russian boy whose Father is also a 'higher up.'  Hey look- it's a young Anton Yelchin.

We get more Poor Bastards and the bad guy escapes.

Cross is taken on an elaborate chase through the streets and onto a train to deliver a ransom of $10 million.

Cool idea- too bad it is from the SIXTH Alex Cross Novel.  Oh well.

Mind you, the Book has Cross end up in Disneyland, so...I can see why they changed it.

He figures out that the ransom was NOT requested by the kidnapper and shoots him with a very literal Chekhov's Gun to kill him.

Too bad the girl is still missing.

Based on zero setup in the Story, we eventually learn that the Secret Service Agent and her Partner (Billy Burker- who we only see twice) knew about the kidnapper's plans and then took the girl from him to get the ransom.

This is at least from the Book, although Cross and her are an item and the girl is actually missing FOR TWO YEARS in that one.

She kills her partner and tries to kill (not kiss) the girl(s) in a Barn.

Cross somehow gets there in time, despite all evidence making this seem impossible and the day is saved.

See you next time...in a Decade when you become Tyler Perry.  The End.

A good Film, but it definitely has more issues overall than the first one.

The structure, for one, is a lot more solid in that Film, since it is a more direct adaptation.  This one stitches in bits from other Books and cuts out big chunks of the actual Book.  It is kind of like how they just started buying up the Ian Fleming Books for Bond Films...and made up entirely unique Stories instead.

That said, the events are shot and acted well as a whole.  The Score does much more of the heavy lifting in this one too, I should note.

The Film does do random things that just kind of make Cross not look too bright.  Aside from missing clues during the first half, he also gets the name of the Kidnapper that the villain emulates wrong- he calls him 'Bruno Hauptmann' when it is actually Richard (Bruno) Hauptmann.  

A weird thing for the expert to get wrong, no?

This does still come recommended for fans of this Genre and the Cross Character.  Just know that it is both more palatable- not dealing with ickier subjects like Kiss the Girls- and also not as good.

To be fair, this Film's Screenwriter only did this- and is credited on Cross- while the other Film's one was a more successful Author and Screenwriter in his own right.

Then again, look how look adorable this kid is....

Next time, I'll make a slight pivot to a different African American Detective on the case.  Was this really good enough to warrant a 1 Season Show on NBC?  Stay tuned...

Fiction vs. Fiction (vs. Fiction!)- The 3 Versions of Red Dragon

 After seeing both Films and reading up on the Book, it's only fitting to do a full comparison.

It would only be a normal version of this Segment, but things were added for the 2002 Film, so it is...

**VS**

**VS**

What's the Same?

The basic Plot doesn't change between the three versions.  

It is still about Will Graham working briefly with Lecter to try and catch the Tooth Fairy.

His motivations are the same and he's ultimately killed.

What's Different?

In the Book and the 2002 Film, we read/see him capture Lecter.  However, in 2002's Red Dragon, he says that it is due to DNA evidence...which was not a plausible thing in 1980 when the Scene is set.

In Manhunter, we just are told (by Lecter) that he caught him.

In all 3 versions, Lecter uses trickery to get Graham's address and give it to the Tooth Fairy.  In Manhunter, that doesn't pay off like in the other 2 versions, as he just stops Dollarhyde before that could mean anything.

In all 3 versions, there's a Scene with Dollarhyde letting his blind girlfriend touch a knocked-out Tiger.  However, in the Book, she touches the animal in a more...intimate way, for some less than subtle foreshadowing of what would happen with her and the killer.
Both Film versions understandably cut that, at least implicitly.  The 2002 Film does keep the bit that relates to that moment though, so...weird.

In both Red Dragons, Dollarhyde does an elaborate trickery to fake his death, wait a week (give or take) and try to kill Graham at home.

Also excised from Manhunter is an odd Scene where Dollarhyde goes to see the real 'Red Dragon' painting, attacks the staff and EATS IT.
I can see why Mann cut it.

In 2002's Red Dragon, Lecter appears WAY more than he does in either version.  He has multiple meetings with Graham and we see more of Dr. Chilton as well, since they were doing retroactive world-building here.

In the final battle in the Book and Manhunter (despite location changes), Graham is beaten up quite a bit.  He doesn't quite get the graphic face wound from the Book though.
In 2002's Red Dragon, he's beaten up a bit, but no face wound.

Final Thoughts

While I haven't read the Book, so I'm not going to recommend it (yet).  If I go back and read it, I'll Edit this.

Manhunter is a fun, stylish Film that I absolutely recommend.
Red Dragon (2002) is good, but weirdly paced and bizarre.

For me, the better Film is Manhunter.
Fight me.