Did we really need a sequel to Kiss The Girls? Apparently, the makers of Along Came A Spider thought so. Upon watching the final product though, I really wish they hadn't bothered. This is a mediocre thriller with no thrills and plot twists that viewers with two working brain cells will have figured out a good half hour before the characters in the film do.

Morgan Freeman returns to his role from 1997's 'Kiss The Girls' as criminal psychologist Alex Cross, who this time is working with the Federal Government, recover the kidnapped daughter of United States Senator George Pittman (Michael Moriarty). With the help of a Secret Service agent named Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter, the poor man's Julia Roberts), the two attempt to track down the kidnapper Gary Sonjei (Michael Wincott), who has a hidden agenda going on with the kidnapping.

There are flashes of promise to be had in the beginning of Along Came A Spider: the character of Sonjei, for starters. Wincott is a more than capable actor for the role, brooding with a quiet intensity that is just waiting to go nuclear at any minute. He gives Sonjei some nice character shading, but unfortunately it is never developed enough to see if he is just a pawn in a much bigger game, or if he is just plain psychotic.

I also thought that the character of Alex Cross is an interesting one (having Morgan Freeman play him is a major plus). Cross is a character that tries to use his intelligence to solve cases, not his firearms. Freeman brings along his usual commanding screen presence and when he is on screen (which is a lot), he does get our attention. Apparently in the novels, Cross and Sonjei play off each other a la Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling did in 'The Silence Of The Lambs' and 'Hannibal'.

There is one, maybe two scenes that show that here and they are indeed intriguing, but they are not enough. That lacking feeling is apparent throughout the entire film however. There is literally no suspense or intensity to be had in this film at all. You know that there is someone else behind the kidnapping almost right from the beginning, giving the viewer an overall sense of "eh, whatever" during scenes that are supposed to have us on the edge of our seat.

Director Lee Tamahori made an amazing debut with 1993's Once Were Warriors but here his direction is very straightforward and pedestrian. It's not involving, it's not stylish and it certainly is nothing that we haven't seen done before. Or better (the little marathon Cross must endure to deliver a ransom in the film is a complete rip-off from 1971's 'Dirty Harry'). The major problems lie with the stinker of a screenplay by Marc Moss. Tamahori's direction only amplifies those errors.

As for the other cast members, no one really registers here beyond a blip. Monica Potter certainly is an attractive presence on screen, but her acting talents don't seem to be any more convincing than that of the average houseplant. Dylan Baker, who plays the usual "cop who is a jerk at first then is okay", overplays the clichéd role at first and then decides to autopilot it for the rest of the film. Penelope Anne-Miller and Michael Moriarty's roles are brief but completely unmemorable (just like the rest of the supporting cast).

I wasn't a big fan of Kiss The Girls. I thought it was basically The Silence Of The Seven Lambs with two strong performances at its core (Freeman of course and Ashley Judd). Passable entertainment, but nothing more than your average Hollywood time killer. But after seeing the lazy film-making on display here, coupled with one downright awful screenplay, that movie seems like a masterpiece. Skip the film and read the book instead.

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