A homicide detective named Alex Cross will push his limits to catch a serial killer who specializes in torture. The film Alex Cross stars Tyler Perry as Alex Cross and Matthew Fox as the villain Picasso. However, Tyler Perry is known for comedy and his casting in a crime thriller genre film is a risky decision. The film was also a box office flop, earning just $11.75 million against a $35 million budget.

1. A homicide detective, will push his limits in order to catch a
serial killer whom of which specializes in torture and pain. With
his love and life being threatened will Alex Cross be successful?

2.  Alex cross has been classified as
certificate 15, which limits the
target audience to an older range
of people. This is important as it
reveals to the audience the film will
consist of violence , strong
language , drug references and
possibly nudity which are key codes
and conventions for any crime or
action film due to it helping
suspense and a sense of realism to
be created.

4.  Alex cross is set to be realised throughout the
autumn and winter, this is a typical time to
release a film of the crime genre due to the
atmosphere being accurate as the film itself
has a dark tone to it thus the season will
reflect that. Also, in the US Alex Cross is
realised before Halloween which is the time
for thrillers to be realised, therefore the date
for Alex Cross is suitable and will result in a
better atmosphere for viewing.

7. Why is it important?
This is a good starting point for the film to be backed up with a
well know production company as it broadens the audience as
fans of the companies films are more likely to hear about the
film resulting in ratings to expand. By having a decent
production company also helps to create a ‘buzz’ as the more
popular a company is the easier the product is to market and be
recognised which results in the news on the film being spread
more quickly and effectively if it portrays enough potential.
However this company isn’t the most successful and after
researching the company I found some information to be
interesting which will affect the film.
I found the fact the company are popular with teens that enjoy
films of the romance genre interesting as it appears to be set
back for Alex Cross. The production company also doesn’t
appear to have success with the genre of this film therefore I
think It is risky for this company to be producing the film as they
lack knowledge of the genre and the specific audience suitable
for the genre. Because of this flaw this film could be yet another
flop to add the company’s list, and the film probably won’t
receive a very positive reputation and a buzz is unlikely to be

8.  The fact the director is more known for being a producer rather than a
director suggests he isn’t very qualified or suited to the role of a
director and Reveals, the directing throughout the film could be poor
thus resulting in bad acting for example causing the film to have a
downfall and not be as successful as it could be. Most films directed by
Rob Cohen aren’t widely successful (regarding a few) which could
affect the outcome of the film. Cohen’s most successful film being ‘The
mummy – tomb of the dragon emperor’ which is part of a franchise
which was an advantage for Cohen as he would already have original
fans wanting to see the film, this made a total of 401,128,639 $
grosses which is rather successful. Cohen again has the advantage of
having a pre-sold audience due to Alex Cross being both a film
franchise and originally a novel series, this will help the films viewings
be higher which will emphasis the success of the film .

9. “Cohen directed directed the
critical and commercial
flop Stealth”
I think this is of importance as
an audience are likely to have
higher expectations for
Cohen’s films due to his failure
in directing stealth, which
means Cohen will need to
prove himself successful in his
upcoming films to achieve a
status as a successful director.

10. Tyler Perry as Dr. Alex Cross
Matthew Fox as Picasso
Edward Burns as Tommy Kane
Rachel Nichols as Monica Ashe
Cicely Tyson as Nana Mama
Carmen Ejogo as Maria Cross
Giancarlo Esposito as Daramus Holiday
John C. McGinley as Richard Brookwell
Jean Reno as Leon Mercier
Ingo Rademacher as Officer Sacks

11. Tyler Perry is taking the lead role for the film as
the protagonist ‘Alex cross’ originally played by
Morgan Freeman. The fact Morgan
Freeman, isn't staring in this film suggests the
film isn’t going to meet the standards of the
others due to the impact the actor had on the
previous films as a whole. Fans of the previous
films may also consider not viewing the film as it
isn’t the same without the original actor. The
fact the protagonist is being played by Tyler
Perry, an actor known for comedy, might be a
setback for the film as he having to adapt to a
completely new genre of film. I think Tyler Perry
is a bad choice for the main role due to him not
having the expertise to meet the standards of
Morgan Freeman.

12. Matthew Fox is taking the role of the
infamous antagonist Picasso. Fox is most
commonly known for played the character
Jack in the TV series lost, a helpful and kind
hearted character however this role is
oppositional to what he is known for. I believe
Fox was chosen for his villainous appearance
and talented acting( this is clearly identified
through the number of awards in which he
won or was nominated for, for Lost.)
However if he is unsuitable for the role of a
villain the film could result in having bad
casting thus making the outcome disastrous.

13. Tyler Perry received $5m upfront for his
performance. ‘Tyler Perry is the highest paid
man in Hollywood’ With this being true
choosing Perry for the main role is a risky
decision due to the cost of having him star in
the film.
Mathew Fox’s pay is currently unknown
however, Perry and Fox were the top paid
actors followed by Rachel Nichols.

14. Clouds, show uncertainty and
Action | Crime | Mystery objectives being unclear
City as the location, adds to which represents
action genre due it being a case.(portrays mystery and
stereotypical setting. crime genre)
Viewing of a weapon Dark figure, adds to
which is key iconography mystery genre due his
for any film of the action identity being unknown.
genre, revels there will be
violence and death
Black connotes
Blue used for
darkness and death
title, connotes loneliness
which is an expected
and gives a sense of one
occurrence for the
of the characters
film, this adds to the
personalities whilst
crime and action
revealing a theme..
element of the film

15. Product placement throughout Alex cross was mainly
through the cars as all vehicles in the movie are GM
vehicles such as Cadillac CTS and a red Chevy Camaro.
This makes an audience want to purchase these vehicles
as their talents are being shown off.
Skype, a social network, is another product placement
as it is used in Alex Cross for the characters to discuss the
case thus resulting in a popularity increase for the
network.

16. With the release of Alex cross the film is being promoted
through the book it is based upon, this works to lure in the
target audience as they are in for a chance to win tickets rather
than pay. The creation of a competition is always good for
selling any film due to the satisfaction of winning.

20. Alex cross was a flop at box office due to it earning only $11.75
million which is substantially low considering the budget of the
film was 35 million. Alex cross also came in at number five in the
box office chart.
Opening Weekend:
$11,396,768 (USA) (21 October 2012) (2339 Screens)
Gross:
$24,603,042 (USA) (11 November 2012)
The fact the films earnings is already low is interesting as it
already clear the film is going to be a flop in cinema’s and
probably will not recover through DVD either due to the
negative reviews the film has received.

26.  These are critic’s
opinions on Alex cross
which I found on
http://www.cbsnews.
com all of these
reviews are negative.
I find this interesting
as it is promoting the
film to be a failure
already, as not a
single critic appears
to of complimented
the film in any form