‘Cross’ – Review
Prime Video has re-shaped the game when it comes to original genre content over the last few years, and now another hero is stepping up to follow in the footsteps of Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher, with Detective Alex Cross making his debut in Cross, a taut and intense police-thriller that will leave you wired.
Cross follows decorated D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge) as he faces a sadistic serial killer leaving a string of bodies strewn around the city. While Alex and his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), track this killer, a mysterious threat from Cross’ past appears, aiming to destroy what he’s done to keep his grieving family, career, and life together.
For more than twenty years, author James Patterson has thrilled readers with the mystery and excitement of his Alex Cross series. This series follows the actions of Detective Alex Cross, a specialist in forensic psychology and criminal profiling who serves in the Washington Police Department. Cross is known for using his intellect and calculating mind to solve the most heinous of crimes and for going to extremes to do it. He has the ability to recognize patterns and insights that others can’t, and he is willing to apply both his intellect and brute force to his cases, making him an interesting, if not unpredictable, hero. Although Cross has made it to the big screen numerous times, it seems that long-form television is the ideal medium for his story to unfold. In this format, showrunner Ben Watkins can explore both the chilling thrills of this heightened serial killer thriller and examine the character of Cross when he is put under intense duress.
Bringing Alex Cross to life on Prime Video’s Cross is noted performer Aldis Hodge, who has been making headway in Hollywood over the last few years, and he’s a perfect casting choice for this adaptation. Hodge is an actor with an immense presence about him, and he brings this fully to his role as Alex Cross; not only is he a hulking beast of a man who can move with the speed of a panther, but Hodge dials in the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the character, and you buy into the mind games and manipulations that he uses to get over on the killers he’s chasing down. Hodge brings incredible thoughtfulness to the character, and you feel that Cross’s mind is, at times, both a blessing and a curse to the character, as no matter how hard he tries, he’s never able to switch it off. He also plays into the characters’ hero complex, and this is a guy who’ll go to extremes to see justice done. Whenever Hodge is on screen, you can’t help but be drawn into him, and this aids in developing the narrative.
While audiences have long been aware of the serial killer/crime procedural, with true crime documentaries and podcasts now being ranked as the number one engaged pieces of content, Cross takes a different tack to the genre and brings in real-world tensions and current day events to heighten the tension even further. While not wanting to run into spoiler territory in relation to the plot, Cross’s core narrative presents a different way of looking at the serial killer/police procedural and its central villain, ‘The Fanboy’ is a deranged and dangerous lunatic for Cross to take on. The Fanboy bears a striking similarity to Cross in both presence and intelligence, and this makes it feel that Hodge’s Cross is almost chasing his own dark shadow and the man he could have become had he gone down a darker path. The series starts off as a slow burn, but as the flames start to lap up, the action gets heavier, and you won’t want to look away as Cross gets closer to taking on this killer.
The atmosphere fills each scene of Cross, and showrunner Ben Watkins throws plenty of physical and emotional obstacles in Cross’ path, which adds to the series’ intensity. This series also has a real sense of style and recalls the classic cool of Shaft and the story’s winter setting in Washington D.C. and the city’s heightened political tension, resulting in a series that has a real point of difference from other crime procedurals. While Cross is not a direct origin story for the character, it sets the stage for this first chapter of the character on streaming, and we really are at the start of something exciting as the world of Alex Cross has begun to be built out. With the show already having been renewed for a second season ahead of its Season One debut, it’s about to get damn exciting from here.
Cross delivers sharp atmosphere, heavy tension, and explosive thrills, and Aldis Hodge absolutely shines in the role of Detective Alex Cross. This is a bold, exciting, scary, and intense new series, and you’ll want to binge-watch it in one single sitting.
Cross is now streaming on Prime Video.
Image: Prime Video
