This is the thrilling prequel to introduce us to the character Alex Cross we’ve known so well from the filmmakers earlier work like 2001’s ‘Along Came A Spider,’ and 1997’s ‘Kiss The Girls.’ Played by Morgan Freeman then, now it’s Tyler Perry’s turn to show us how it translates in the characters younger years.  Sadly, Perry fails miserably but Matthew Fox as his nemesis Picasso shoots for the moon.  Stealing your breath and your beliefs that a character could be so believable and eerily sadistic, he makes the film.  C+

The story follows Alex’s earlier days just before joining the FBI and becoming the cool, calm and collected profiler Morgan freeman portrayed in the earlier films.  A new psycho killer is on the loose whose unique methods draw the attention of Cross and his police team.  Convinced he’s your textbook killer, Cross lets his guard down which only incites Picasso the killer to use every means to not only carry out a pre-planned list of assassinations, but also inflict a massive dose of pain and suffering on Cross using his team and family to carry out his whims of mental fury.

What makes the film watchable is it’s actually a ‘whodunit.’  Even after the psycho bad guy gets his, the story isn’t over.  Who set this psycho in motion and can you spot the clues and clichés wrapped into the film to give you the answer?  Of course you can, you’re a reader of GeekForE you’re super smart!

Go see it for Matthew Fox’s (Speed Racer) take on playing a warped-minded incredibly focused psychotic.  If I didn’t know any better I’d say it’s the movie industry marketing machine that started the real life stories about his drunk driving and wife beating.  It would only give credence to his performance here.  I was scared, I was captivated, appalled, inspired (yeah weird huh…they do call him Picasso), and downright excited at times to watch would he would do and how he’d react in every situation.  Sadly his performance may be relegated to nothing more than a MTV Movie award, but I guarantee others will see what I saw.

Alex Cross is rated PG-13 for violence including disturbing images, sexual content, language, drug references, and nudity.  Running Time 101 minutes.