Similar to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels or Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, James Patterson’s series of Alex Cross mystery novels has become a definitive work of “airport fiction” that has earned a loyal following of readers. While Patterson frequently shows an affinity for the sensational within his writing, the Alex Cross series has been largely successful thanks to the unique perspective of its titular protagonist; his adventures may be interchangeable, but the sensitivity, intelligence, and world-weariness that defines Cross make the series compelling nonetheless.
While there have been many attempted adaptations of Patterson’s source material that have failed to embody these qualities, the 1997 adaptation of Kiss the Girls combines psychological horror and a compelling mystery to be the best Alex Cross adaptation thus far.
What Is ‘Kiss the Girls’ About?
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Based on the 1995 novel of the same name, Kiss the Girls centers on Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) in the aftermath of the disappearance of his niece, Naomi (Gina Ravera). While Alex tries to assure his family that Naomi will soon be found safe and secure, his experience in the field indicates to him that she is linked to a far more malevolent force. Cross travels to Durham, where he consults with the detectives, Nick Ruskin (Cary Elwes) and Davy Sikes (Alex McArthur), who reveal that over ten girls have been declared missing in what appears to be a serial abductor situation. Kiss the Girls contains the immediacy of Patterson’s novels, as the stakes are quickly established. It’s clear that whatever time that these missing victims have is limited, and that Alex will have to quickly put together the clues to solve the case.
Since Kiss the Girls is not the first novel in Patterson’s series, the film adaptation is not saddled with the same expositional chunks that an origin story would have. This is an effective means of adaptation, as it's better to introduce the supporting characters within the Alex Cross universe by showing their pre-established relationships with the titular character. While there is little backstory given to Alex Cross’ dynamic with his allies, Detective John Sampson (Bill Nunn) and FBI Agent Kyle Craig (Jay O. Sanders), seeing how the characters seamlessly work together to pool their resources and conduct research implies a more fleshed-out history that is reflective of their past adventures. While readers of Patterson’s novels may enjoy seeing references to these characters’ more prominent roles in the entire series, Kiss the Girls does a serviceable job at giving them substantial roles while keeping the focus on the mystery at hand.
Although the film doesn't require extensive knowledge of the source material in order to be comprehensible, Kiss the Girls succeeds by giving Alex a personal tie to the case. While Patterson’s novels see him going up against multiple dangerous killers and criminals, Alex’s personal desire to save his niece makes him a more empathetic character. It puts a human face on the victims and humanizes a character whose immense intelligence can make him somewhat impersonal. The excellent performance by Freeman is able to convey the personal conflicts that Alex experiences during the investigation; while he tries his best to retain his professionalism, he can’t help but succumb to the emotions that are inherent in a threat to his family.
‘Kiss the Girls’ Flirts With the Horror Genre
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While it's ostensibly a straightforward investigative thriller, Kiss the Girls draws on elements of the horror genre in order to be more propulsive. The film was released only shortly after David Fincher’s Seven shocked audiences with its bitter ending, and the influence couldn’t be more evident; brief flashes of the victims being tortured by a mysterious captor add a sense of existential dread that only escalates the stakes. While the film has a knack for showing the sordid side of Alex’s lifestyle, often pointing to the malevolent personalities he’s forced to bring to justice, the incorporation of horror themes never impedes the logic of the story. There’s still an emphasis on finding clues and logically breaking down evidence that highlights Alex’s intelligence as a protagonist.
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Compared to other films within both the mystery and horror genres, Kiss the Girls does a great job at treating the victims with respect. While it would have been easy to treat the young women as merely “MacGuffins” that advance the twisted mystery plot, the film takes the time to show how the abductees deal with their captivity and struggle to fight their oppressor. The storyline featuring Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), a skilled doctor who Alex helps rescue, is particularly powerful; Kate goes from victim to avenger once she joins Alex in the search for Naomi. With that, there was a notable emphasis on female empowerment that is far too uncommon in the crime films of the 1990s.
‘Kiss the Girls’ Is the Best ‘Alex Cross’ Adaptation
The success of Kiss the Girls prompted Paramount Pictures to move forward with an adaptation of Patterson’s first novel, Along Came A Spider, which once again featured Freeman as Alex Cross. While it introduced a memorable new antagonist in Michael Wincott’s Gary Soneji, Along Came a Spider crossed the threshold of believability in a way that Kiss the Girls didn’t. Between the disorienting use of early CGI, a few twists too many, and several logical loopholes, Along Came a Spider lacked the maturity of its predecessor. It felt like a standard serial abduction movie that just so happened to star Alex Cross, rather than one that was specifically suited for his character.
While the disappointment of Along Came A Spider led Paramount to reboot the series, 2012’s Alex Cross made the mistake of treating the character as an action hero. While Tyler Perry gave an impressive dramatic performance, the film’s emphasis on set pieces over investigations felt like it was trying to contend with the Bourne series. While there is certainly hope that the upcoming Amazon Prime Video adaptation, Cross, starring Aldis Hodge will be a more faithful depiction of the character, it’s hard to imagine there ever being an Alex Cross film as good as Kiss the Girls.
How Does ‘Kiss the Girls’ Compare to ‘Along Came a Spider?'
Even though both films featured Freeman as Cross, Along Came a Spider was a sequel that embodied the more ridiculous aspects of the source material, and did not lean into the horrific elements that had made Kiss the Girls so disturbing. Kiss the Girls may have been a stronger film overall, as it did a good job at fleshing out the supporting characters, detailing the investigative process of a police mission, and creating a truly menacing villain thanks to Elwes’ memorable supporting turn. Nonetheless, Along Came a Spider was able to inherit the ridiculousness of Patterson’s writing; his novels tend to be edge-of-seat thrillers, but generally collapse under any serious logical analysis. Although a more general audience member may have struggled to accept the face-swapping technology and political conspiracies that play such a dominant role in Along Came a Spider, they are nothing but not loyal to the source material.
The success of the two Alex Cross films with Freeman is somewhat an anomaly, as adaptations of Patterson’s work have surprisingly not taken off at the box office. While the Alex Cross film from 2012 starring Perry may have failed due to its highly negative reviews, it also goes to show that Patterson’s name is not necessarily a drawing factor for audiences in the way that Tom Clancy’s is. Despite being based on one of Patterson’s most popular novels, the 2016 adaptation of Maximum Ride was a significant bomb, and failed to spawn the young adult franchise that it may have been intended to initiate. Similarly, the adaptation of Patterson’s coming-of-age novel Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life was not a breakthrough success, and did not initiate the same enthusiasm that similar titles like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise attained.
Although it isn’t likely to be named among his best roles, Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider solidified Freeman’s status as a leading man, and helped pave the way for the subsequent success he earned in the 21st century. Freeman may have won the support of cinephiles thanks to his amazing performance in The Shawshank Redemption, but it is easy to forget that Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King short story was initially a box office failure, and only earned its current reputation after being widely circulated on home video and cable. Like so many talented black actors of his generation, Freeman was often stuck in supporting roles, in which he was not able to show off his inherent charisma. Nonetheless, Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider proved that he was capable of leading a franchise, and surprisingly turned him into an action star late in his career. It’s rare for someone to attain stardom so late within their filmography as Freeman, but he has consistently proven to be a compelling working actor in the two decades that followed the Patterson films. Today, many viewers still view him as the definitive cinematic version of Cross.
Kiss the Girls is available to watch on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Custom Image by Jefferson Chacon
Image via Paramount Pictures
Image via Paramount Pictures
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