Along Came a Spider (film)
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This article is for the film Along Came a Spider. For the novel of the same title, see Along Came a Spider.
Along Came A Spider is a 2001 American mystery film. The film stars Morgan Freeman and Monica Potter, and it was directed by Lee Tamahori. The film's story serves as the prequel to the 1997 film Kiss the Girls. The story was adapted by Marc Moss from the James Patterson novel.
Tagline:The game is far from over.
| Along Came A Spider | |
|---|---|
 The DVD cover for Along Came a Spider. |
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| Directed by | Lee Tamahori |
| Produced by | David Brown Joe Wizan Morgan Freeman Marty Hornstein |
| Written by | James Patterson (Novel) Marc Moss (Screenplay) |
| Starring | Morgan Freeman Monica Potter Michael Wincott |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by | Nicolas De Toth Neil Travis |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 6, 2001 (USA) |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28,000,000 US (est.) |
| Preceded by | Kiss the Girls |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
[edit] Plot
Tracie (Jill Teed) is an undercover officer on assignment to bring down Jim Gelway, a wanted man for multiple sexual assault charges and murder. Tracie is in the car with the man while being followed by Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a police detective and forensic pathologist, who has also followed the case. He is dictating what to say to Tracie as she tries to make him confess on tape. Jim finds Tracie's earpiece while attempting to force her into performing fellatio on him. After a short fight, Jim is shot. The car spins out of control at a dam, flying over the ledge of the bridge. The car gets caught on some wires with only the front bumper keeping the vehicle from plummeting. Because he wasn't wearing a seat belt, Jim is tossed out of the car. Tracie is still in the car as help arrives. Alex tells Tracie to hold on. After short lived attempts to hold the car in place, the weight buckles and Tracie drops to her death.
Six months later: Megan Rose, a senator's daughter, is being dropped off at her school. She meets up with Secret Service Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter), the agent assigned to protect her. In Mr. Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott)'s class Megan is seen using a special code to contact an admirer, Dimitri Starodubov, the son of the Russian President. Mr. Soneji tells Megan to see him in his office and accuses her of plagiarism. She denies it, and he suddenly, unexpectedly chloroforms her. She passes out. Another teacher enters the room. Soneji tells her that she just collapsed and as the other teacher turns to go for help, Soneji strangles her to death. Jezzie notices that Megan is not at lunch. She is told by a classmate that she's with Mr. Soneji. Jezzie goes to look for her as Megan is being stuffed into a container that looks like tower computers next to each other on the outside. Soneji makes his way outside and into his van at the same time Jezzie finds the dead teacher. Jezzie orders a security lockdown. Ben Divine, one of Megan's bodyguards, runs to the parking lot, but Soneji escapes.
The newsflash hits every news station as Alex Cross keep changing the channels. Alex receives a call from Gary Soneji, his voice distorted. Soneji is revealed to be on a small boat. Alex records the call and sees if he could find an edge to what Soneji is after. Gary quotes a saying from a book, then hints that there's something for Alex in his mailbox. Alex goes outside to find one of Megan's shoes. Alex arrives at the Rose residence and makes a smooth entrance. He meets up with Secret Service Agent Ollie McArthur, the head of the case. Ollie asks Alex if he knew why Soneji picked him. Alex has no idea. Alex is introduced to Rose's parents.
Alex starts his initial investigation at the crime scene. He soon starts finding clues left behind by Soneji (a missing picture and Charles Lindbergh). Alex finds out Soneji's address which is later raided by the F.B.I.. At Soneji's house, Alex finds a book with the same quote Soneji told him during his phone call: "They say that when I die, the case will die. It will be like a book I close. But the book, it will never close." The last words of Bruno Hauptmann. Bruno Hauptmann allegedly committed "The Crime of the Century" when he was the sole person arrested in the Lindbergh kidnapping. Alex's hypothesis is that Gary Soneji is trying to do the same thing (i.e. commit a new "crime of the century").
Later, Alex and Jezzie converse into "why Megan?" Alex concludes that "Senator Hank Rose is no Charles Lindbergh." Alex asks Jezzie if she knows "who's a bigger fish than Hank Rose?" Alex and Jezzie decide to have a stakeout outside Dimitri Starodubov's residence. Via computer, Soneji is able to communicate with Dimitri posing as Megan convincing him to escape the cameras and come outside to a phone booth. Dimitri falls for the trap. As Soneji walks up to Dimitri, Alex and Jezzie intervene. After some exchanged gunfire, Soneji flees. Back at the boat, Soneji goes to open the door to the compartment Megan is being held in. He opens the door and to his disbelief, Megan is gone.
Back at the Roses, Soneji calls to make a demand for ten million dollars in diamonds. Alex is put in charge running around Washington D.C. trying to keep up with Soneji's demands. On a train, Alex shoots a window open to make the exchange with Soneji outside. Alex can only look out of the train's window as Soneji leaves the scene. At Jezzie's house, the someone knocks on the door. Jezzie answers it only to be electrocuted by Soneji. Alex is told he can't kill him because he'll never find Megan. Soneji reveals that he killed his parents when he was fifteen. Alex congratulates Soneji on a well earned $12 million dollars, but Soneji doesn't react at all. Soneji wants Alex to tell him what is on his (Soneji's) mind. After being disappointed, Soneji starts to leave threatening to take Jezzie with him. Alex shoots Soneji dead. The Roses blame Alex for killing the only man who knew where their daughter is.
Alex is reviewing the tapes from the original kidnapping. He times himself tracing Ben Divine's steps. Alex tells Ollie that Divine could have shut the whole place down in the office instead of chasing Soneji. Ollie concurs that Divine was in on it with Soneji. Alex says that Soneji worked alone and that Divine was following Soneji's movements. "Soneji was hoodwinked. And so were we." At a farm house, Divine is revealed to be holding Megan now. Jezzie comes in and pretends to place him under arrest, but kisses him almost immediately. She is thus revealed to be the hidden villain. It is revealed that they were responsible for the diamonds demand, about which Soneji knew nothing. In her greed, Jezzie kills Divine. Alex is at Jezzie's house and is trying to get into Jezzie's system. He remembers her talking about the card game. So he tries that as a password to Jezzie's personal computer and it works. Alex learns about Jezzie's role in the whole affair as well as finding the address to the farm house.
At the farm house, Jezzie uses her relationship with Megan as an advantage so Megan can open the door she herself set up in order for Divine not to come in and kill her. Suspicious, Megan asks Jezzie why is she alone. Jezzie orders her to open the door. Megan backs away hiding. Jezzie shoots through the wall multiple times until she runs out of bullets. Megan sees a door and goes through it running through the farm only to be captured by Alex. He tells her to be quiet. Alex confronts Jezzie. Jezzie and Alex have some words. Jezzie asks if he'll kill another partner. Alex replies that she was never "his" partner. After Jezzie points the gun at him, Alex shoots her in the lung and she soon expires. Alex asks Megan if she's okay and takes her back to her parents.
[edit] Cast
- Morgan Freeman - Alex Cross
- Monica Potter - Jezzie Flannigan
- Michael Wincott - Gary Soneji
- Dylan Baker - Ollie McArthur
- Mika Boorem - Megan Rose
- Anton Yelchin - Dimitri Starodubov
- Kimberly Hawthorne - Agent Hickley
- Jay O. Sanders - Kyle Craig
- Billy Burke - Ben Devine
- Michael Moriarty - Senator Hank Rose
- Penelope Ann Miller - Elizabeth Rose
- Anna Maria Horsford - Vickie
- Scott Heindl - Floyd (The Fisherman)
- Christopher Shyer - Jim
- Jill Teed - Tracie
