After evading the Secret Service agents assigned to the school, Soneji calls upon Cross to join the hunt. Everyone needs a hobby, and Soneji's is committing the crime of the century, and to be considered legitimate he must have the best detective after him. All of this is entertaining to a point, mainly because Wincott seems born to play a heavy and Freeman is always an engaging actor, but the story is not up to the task of supporting them or the leaps of logic that follow. Chases ensue, cops are killed, an elaborate ransom drop is made, and there is also the possibility that Soneji is not the only bad guy behind the scenes. All of this adds up to a remarkably suspenseless 103 minutes, all because the actors are merely in the service to the tired yet relentless plot.
Characterization is lost in the process.
The rest of the supporting cast members are each given one trait to express. For Penelope Ann Miller, as the kidnapped girl's mother, this is wailing and praying for her daughter's safe return, while Michael Moriarty, as the senator, seems to have been handed listless boredom. There is a fortunate aspect to the Cross films and that is the indication they can actually improve upon some of the source material by diluting the cheesier elements and through Freeman's performances. Both movies have managed to excise a lot of the schmaltz that weighs down the hoary series. I was immeasurably relieved that the filmmakers decided to make Cross a loner.