Alex Cross

Year: 2012
Genre: Action
Director: Rob Cohen


Plot: Expert profiler Alex Cross matches wits with a sadistic killer, which eventually becomes personal.


The gist: This movie has one of, if not the worst taglines ever, and unfortunately the movie is pretty lame too, so much that only that tagline is worse than the film itself. So how did Rob Cohen, the guy who put Vin Diesel on the map screw this one up?

Well, it's not the plot, because that part is not too shabby. It's not the acting, because it's more or less decent. No, it's the execution of the script, and the script itself. Remember how the previous Alex Cross films starring Morgan Freeman were like? It was smart, thrilling and mysterious, like a good mystery novel should be. This film doesn't have any of that. It tries to be a good thriller, but the bad dialogue just won't let it.

On top of that, this film wastes the 'expert profiling skills' of Alex Cross after the first half and turns it into a revenge action flick, which would have been okay, if not for the bad camerawork (shaky and too close). And then there's the totally unnecessary subplot of co-worker relationships between Edward Burns and Rachel Nichols' characters, which didn't add anything to the film.

With a lack of surprises, bad cinematography and lame dialogue, this film wasted nearly every potential it had.


The good: Tyler Perry at least tries to make Alex Cross come off as a serious guy. It's unfortunate he doesn't have Freeman's charisma, because if he wasn't so chubby, he actually resembles him a little. But he's decent at least. Matthew Fox fares a bit better as the villain, but the bad lines he was given just stops short of making him memorable.

The bad: Rachel Nichols was totally wasted here. If she was written out of the film, it'd still be the same. Jean Reno was laughable in his role here. There is one scene where he walks Cross to a park outside to talk, then decides not to give him information, resulting in Cross leaving. Now wasn't that a waste of a scene? Add also the stuff above (bad camerawork, bad lines, bad subplots etc)


Verdict: It had every potential to be a solid thriller, but it fails to excite or intrigue. Pass on this if you see it. (2.5/5)

Zero Dark Thirty

Year: 2012
Genre: Thriller, drama
Director: Kathryn Bigelow


Plot: The true account of the 10 year manhunt for Osama bin Laden, from the 9/11 attacks to his death at the hands of SEAL Team 6 in 2011.


The gist: Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal present a slightly fictionalised but mostly true account of the events that led to Osama bin Laden's death, from the September 11 attacks to his death in May 2011.

What Bigelow and Boal show to us are intelligence activities carried out by the CIA to procure information as to Osama's whereabouts, which includes torture interrogation, top secret meetings and the like, while in between we bear witness to the various terrorist attacks around the globe.

The person at the centre of these activities is Maya, a young but brilliant CIA officer who digs up all sorts of information to find informants that either know Osama or know his whereabouts. However she has problems convincing her superiors that whatever information she gets is reliable, due to the fact that most of them are based on her opinions and not backed up with solid facts.

As we all know, eventually they get Osama in a well protected house in Pakistan, in a well shot sequence that although looks rather dark, feels authentic.


The good: Jessica Chastain puts in an excellent performance as Maya, who has to do whatever it takes, from attending uncomfortable interrogation sessions to fighting her superiors in order to see the mission to its end. Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle, Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler and the late James Gandolfini also provide solid work as the supporting cast. Kudos also to the technical crew for making the entire film seem real. Production design and cinematography, and music too are all on point.

The bad: The film seems too long at times, as Bigelow tries too hard too include a lot of information, some of which may seem too difficult for the general viewer to follow or understand.


Verdict: It's a solid true story film, which might not be everyone's cup of tea. But all the same, I'd say it's worth checking out. (3.5/5)