Along Came a Spider

_**Good, but farfetched with an eye-rolling ‘big reveal’**_ D.C. forensic psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) investigates when a senator’s daughter is kidnapped from a private school by a man obsessed with the infamous Lindbergh abduction (Michael Wincott). A secret service agent at the school assists him on the case (Monica Potter). “Along Came a Spider” (2001) is an improbable detective thriller like its predecessor “Kiss the Girls” (1997) except that it doesn’t rip-off “Silence of the Lambs” (1991) or “Se7en” (1995). Both were based on the books by James Patterson. The opening is great with a thrilling dam sequence. The ensuing story of the kidnapping & investigation is compelling but, like the first film, a plot wrench is thrown into the works that muddles everything. I can roll with that, but not the absurd ‘big reveal’ at the end, which comes off as a wannabe “Fooled ya” by the writers. They might’ve fooled me, but they also ruined the movie with the eye-rolling twist. Like “Kiss the Girls,” “Along Came a Spider” is worthwhile if you like proficient detective thrillers and the cast, but be prepared for a wildly unrealistic tale. The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in the Vancouver area, British Columbia, and Owings Mills/Baltimore, Maryland (the train sequence), with establishing shots of Washington DC. GRADE: C