You may not believe this, but Tyler Perry is the least of the problems with Alex Cross. But the movie's existence did give me a chance to concoct a gallery of passable-to-great movie detectives.
The Sessions presented this critic with a conundrum: it's a substantially laudable movie that does not connect in the least with my preferred aesthetic mode. SEE how I wrestled with this challenge in my review. For MSN Movies.
I am more than pleased to see Daryl Zero on that list of “great screen detectives”, as ZERO EFFECT is, to me, a highly underrated movie (as well as the first movie to make me understand the appeal of Sherlock Holmes). However, I wish there had been room for Alfred Fichet, the police detective Charles Vanel played so brilliantly in DIABOLIQUE.
Lemmy Caution, Harry Moseby and Peter Gunn?
a highly underrated movie (as well as the first movie to make me understand the appeal of Sherlock Holmes).
I’m rather surprised it isn’t caled “Tyler Perry’s Alex Cross.”
Beautiful:
This schmoe is played by Matthew Fox, whose shaved head and tattoos are indicators that he’s perfected time travel and come to 2012 directly from a Ministry show in 1991.
Oopsie — Sinatra’s character in THE DETECTIVE isn’t Tony Rome.
But fun article, as always.
A really interesting detective to me was the one played by Steven Geray in Joseph H. Lewis’ SO DARK THE NIGHT. Geray’s investigation leads to a surprising conclusion that foreshadows aspects of PSYCHO (nope, no crossdressing). It’s not a particularly well-known film, so naturally it wouldn’t make such a list, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for (TCM runs it on occasion).
You include recent one-shots like Zero and Starling, but leave out such vintage durables as Mr. Moto, Michael Shayne,Bulldog Drummond, The Lone Wolf, Boston Blackie, Bill Crane, The Saint/The Falcon and the Warren William incarnation of Perry Mason? Are you auditioning for a gig at “Entertainment Weekly?” :-O