Cross (2024-2026)

Mwah...

The series has to rely mainly on the mega good acting performances of Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross, (especially) Isaiah Mustafa as John Sampson and Johnny Ray Gill as Bobby Trey. To a lesser extent Ryann Eggold who I caught as Dempsey more often than I wanted in a slightly too theatrical way of acting.
As many have indicated, the emphasis on "being black" is way too thick. So much so that it often comes across as extremely forced and annoying. I say this as a big fan of Malcom X and Huey P. Newton(!). That says something.
Have a strong political opinion about that, but this is not the platform for that. Morgan Freeman once said something about that, can be found on the well-known video streaming site
PS: Strong opinion does not necessarily mean extreme left or right.

I was endlessly annoyed by the smaller plot holes;
- When you're being stalked by your wife's killer; how can you leave the house so terribly often?
- Oh sorry.. of course he had a camera installed!
- In the real world, Dempsey would never have been able to pull something like this off. Luck was very much on his side. You could almost call him a comic book villian.
- At the beginning he loses his "cool" at the table and attacks a man. A bit strange for someone as smart as he is with his background.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Detective Alex Cross sinks his teeth into the case of a murdered activist. In the grim search for the perpetrator, screenwriter Ben Watkins (Truth be Told) interweaves police violence with Black Lives Matter. Based on the characters from the books by James Patterson, the eight-part Cross is a thriller that seamlessly connects to films such as Se7en and Kiss the Girls. Morgan Freeman previously played detective Dr. Alex Cross, now it is Aldis Hodge's turn (City on a Hill).

Hodge's Cross is physical, aggressive and machismo, something that annoyingly contrasts and clashes with his work as a psychologist. It is not the only implausibility. Still, Cross convinces. Especially because of the clever scenario and the ever-present tension. In style and atmosphere, Cross is reminiscent of the grimy Monster: the Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The serial killer genre is not reinvented, but with Cross it has been given a current and relevant update.

Translated from Dutch · View original