Cross Series Review (2024): Prime Video Series Almost Addictive, Even Unleashing Opposing Desires!
Cross Series Review (2024): Prime Video Series Almost Addictive, Even Unleashing Opposing Desires! - Filmyhype
Director: Ben Watkins
Date Created: 2024-11-14 12:57
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Cross Series Review: Prime Video hits the mark with Cross, a new thriller series created by James Patterson starring Aldis Hodge as the famous detective Alex Cross. Unlike the previous film adaptations starring Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, this television version takes the character into new territory, showing a more impulsive Cross tormented by past traumatic events. It stands out for its compelling narrative and balanced dose of tension and mystery. The series, consisting of eight episodes, captures the attention of fans of the genre from the first moment, thanks to an intricate plot that intertwines the protagonist’s drama with a chilling investigation. Alex Cross and his faithful partner John Sampson, played by Isaiah Mustafa, find themselves in a hunt for the killer full of twists and growing tension. In particular, as we will tell you in this review, Cross hits the mark thanks to the work on the screenplay by Ben Watkins who, distancing himself from the original stories of Patterson’s novels, offers an original narration, full of suspense but never predictable.
There are beautiful, well-made but tiring TV series that need a few hours after each episode to let the stories you just saw settle. And there are TV series that were created for binge-watching, to be devoured one episode after another until the long-awaited finale. This second category includes a crime-police TV series inspired by the characters in James Patterson’s novels (and not by a specific novel) coming out with all 8 episodes on Thursday, November 14 on Prime Video. If you are undecided whether to watch it or not, we will try to convince you with our review that begins with a spoiler-free summary of the plot. Literature is full of detectives and special agents and many of these have then successfully arrived on the big or small screen. Just mention James Bond or Sherlock Holmes, to mention the most famous, but even a serial project like Reacher is based on the literary character of Jack Reacher. While waiting to see them all back in action, it is now Cross‘s turn to draw the attention of fans of the genre.
Cross Series Review (2024): The Story Plot
Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge) is a detective in the Washington DC police department, the capital of the United States, with a degree in psychology. In the prologue of the series, the tragic turning point in his life is shown: the murder of his beloved wife Maria (Chaunteé Schuler Irving). Cross then finds himself having to raise his son Damon (Caleb Elijah) and daughter Janelle (Melody Hurd) without her, with the precious help of his grandmother Regina, known as “Nana Mama” (Juanita Jennings). A year after Maria’s tragic disappearance, Alex is on the verge of resigning from the police force. But he has to postpone that moment, because – while he puts his infallible intuition at the disposal of his colleagues for an interrogation that thrilled us almost as much as the beginning of Reacher Season 2 – the body of a black man was found in the city, a former small-time criminal who has cleaned up his act for years and has become an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Emir, the victim, died of a drug overdose, and this is the version that the police chief Anderson (Jennifer Wigmore) would like to stick to. However, she has decided to entrust the case to the almost resigned Cross and his inseparable friend and colleague John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa). The case was entrusted to them because Cross is famous for his brilliant skills as an investigator. But also, and above all because they are black, Anderson hopes that in this way she will be able to keep the anger of the African American community at bay. Fortunately, Cross is not one to be used or to lend himself to being a presence for the media, so he starts to investigate seriously and soon realizes that too many things do not add up in the death of Emir, who according to Alex was killed by making the death pass as accidental. In the meantime, Alex also has to deal with a dangerous situation for his family, which could be connected to Maria’s murder. But we will not reveal more, referring to you for further details on the trailer of Cross at the bottom of the article.
Cross Series Review and Analysis
Without giving away any spoilers, we feel we need to clarify one thing: Cross is not a “mystery” type series in which, together with the detectives, we have to discover the culprit of a murder that will only be revealed in the showdown (Only Murders in the Building style, to be clear). Here, the murderer is revealed to the audience very early on, and it won’t take Cross himself much longer to figure out who it is. Yet, even if there is no hunt for the culprit with the associated bets “for me it’s him” and “no for me it’s her” among the viewers on the sofa, this is, as mentioned, a gripping TV series like few others, which keeps you glued to the screen and makes you want to stay up all night to find out how it ends. With the right pace, the story moves forward, enriching the mosaic with ever-new pieces that give the image of a broad but never dispersive narration.
Cross’s Sherlock Holmes-like style captures the audience as it does with the characters that revolve around him, and it is satisfying to watch Alex’s explanations of his mental journeys. Counterbalancing his intelligence is his trauma, his desire to discover his wife’s murderer, and the resulting anger that he sometimes can’t control. All this contributes to the characterization of an exceptionally intelligent but also simply human character, who immediately enters the heart with his qualities and his defects. Cross’s vision is almost addictive, even unleashing opposing desires: on the one hand, you would like it to never end, on the other, you would prefer Alex to solve a case per episode, to get that dopamine rush-released by his explanations. Finally, let us make an almost spoiler note: if you love Dr. Max Goodwin in New Amsterdam, prepare to be shocked by a crazy performance by actor Ryan Eggold in a vastly different role. We will say no more.
Ben Watkins, creator of the excellent series New York Undercover, as well as writer and producer of Burn Notice – Die Hard, hit the mark. So much so that Cross has already been renewed for a second season before the first has even debuted. Watching the episodes in preview, many elements stand out, starting with the attention with which the horizontal plot has been structured. Here you will not find even one spoiler, but one thing I can tell you: you will soon know the identity of the killer. Long before the end. In the same way, Alex will identify him. The problem will be to frame him, finding the non-existent evidence of his guilt.
The entire season will be like a pas de deux, with a move and a countermove, in which the spectators share the protagonist’s frustration. Knowing that the person in front of you is a monster, but not being able to prove it, violates the basic rules of detective work, but also of a psychologist able to enter the minds of criminals. So here we are, with our privileged point of view – we know several things that Alex doesn’t know yet – we are not at ease at all, on the contrary: we can predict some events without being disappointed when they arrive. For once, in short, understanding well in advance what will happen is not a disappointment, on the contrary. We are curious to see how Watkins’ series will deal with the inevitable.
As he struggles with the grief of his beloved wife’s death and tries to be there for his children, Alex Cross must learn to move on. With his girlfriend Elle (Samantha Walkes, Murdoch Mysteries), his partner at work and lifelong best friend, “Two John” Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa, Mike from It: Chapter 2), Chief of Police Anderson (Jennifer Wigmore, Malory Towers), his colleagues, and a family that needs him. It was a strange experience, quite unusual. And yet I couldn’t get it out of my head: why didn’t the casting directors choose Mustafa, who plays Sampson, for the role of Alex Cross? The way he moved, his attitude, the way he dressed: everything was much more reminiscent of the literary Alex Cross than it was of the character played by Aldis Hodge.
I didn’t understand. But then, already in the second episode, something happened: Alex Cross played the father. Even with a child who is not his, taking on the role of a psychologist. And in that moment, I understood that Hodge was the perfect Cross for this series. A series that tests both the protagonist and the viewers, and desperately needs that inner torment that Hodge lets shine through so well. Alex Cross, we know from the very first trailer of the series, is suffering. He never thought he would have to raise his children alone, without his beloved wife. Which forces him to question everything: his life, his future, and himself. His way of looking at the world. At the same time, he makes several mistakes. For example, he does something that all police officers know they should never do he promises the mother of a victim that he will find the culprit.
In a crescendo of tension, the first season of Cross runs straight towards a success built on a slow construction of suspense, on current events (the case of George Floyd is mentioned, and not only), on the representation of a world in which knowledge and money count more than anything else. A wrong world. Our world. Cross stands out for its dark atmosphere and complex narrative, which favors reflection over action, exploring current issues such as racism, police brutality, and civil strife, and offering a realistic portrait of the African-American community in Washington. The performances are among the greatest strengths of the series; in addition to the leading Hodge, Samantha Walkes stands out in the role of Elle and Ryan Eggold, who after New Amsterdam surprises with a disturbing performance and very different from his previous roles.
Aldis Hoge offers a convincing performance, managing to convey the pain of mourning and the determination of the character with few words and a strong stage presence. However, the series suffers from an excess of secondary characters introduced quickly, a choice that risks weighing down the narrative and not giving the right space to the supporting characters, especially the female characters who are often poorly developed. The antagonists, on the other hand, are well characterized, with Phineas Carter played by Darnell Bartholomew, who gives a touch of madness to his role, and Ryan Eggold, who with his harmless face manages to effectively play a serial killer. As we were saying, the series stands out for the centrality of dialogue and psychology, with Cross using his ability to enter the minds of criminals rather than relying on pure action.
In this sense, from a writing point of view, the construction of Alex Cross as a multifaceted character is commendable, he manages to show humanity and understanding, especially in interactions with his children, something that previous adaptations had never focused on. Compared to what was proposed in the past, here the action is carefully dosed and emerges only when strictly necessary to advance the plot and maintain a realistic tone. This helps to give greater impact to the tense scenes, which are also credible thanks to the physical prowess of the actors involved. Despite its original approach, Cross does not disappoint the expectations of fans of Patterson’s novels. The pace never drops, and each episode leaves the viewer eager to discover what will happen next, culminating in a finale that justifies the platform’s decision to renew the series for a second season that has already been confirmed and filmed.
Cross Series Review (2024): The Last Words
Cross manages to “freshen up” the source material while remaining faithful to James Patterson’s tales, engaging the audience with a well-written story and memorable performances. With a mix of mystery, tension, and personal drama, it is sure to win over fans of the genre. Tension, current events, pain, revenge, fear, and the need to learn to live again, when the life you had planned is swept away, make the detective born from the pen of James Patterson a fresh, tormented, and witty television character, capable of leading us in a pas de deux with a ruthless killer without ever making us regret having guessed what will happen. Because the series by Ben Watkins with Aldis Hodge wants us to know more than the protagonist. And he wants us to share his frustration by knowing in advance some of his antagonist’s moves. While the episodes flow by, fast and are full of intelligent dialogue.
Cast: Jennifer Wigmore, Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings
Director: Ben Watkins
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
