Tyler Perry goes gangster in a 1931 Cadillac

Actor Tyler Perry might not have had a fedora, but he got to tap into his inner-Al Capone during a gangster-style pow-wow in the new film Alex Cross. The location: the back seat of a 1931 Cadillac.

Considering the rest of the film is set in modern day without a Tommy Gun in sight, this might be a tad on the unusual.

But director Rob Cohen says he wanted a unique place for Perry, who plays a police investigator who has to get some personal time with a local crime boss played by Giancarlo Esposito.

During the Detroit shoot, Cohen scouted out the General Motors Heritage Museum and fell for the one-of-a-kind Caddy. The "minute I saw that car, I thought it was right out of Al Capone," says Cohen. "So wouldn't it be funny to talk gangster in a real gangster car."

"They get into a car you'd see on The Untouchables. It's a fun way to bring a private conversation about," he adds.

It doesn't entirely work on a film level, but for car lovers -- you just can't beat it. And both actors got the rare treat of sitting in a seat that hasn't been touched in years. Though Perry was too focused on his day's work to really notice, says Cohen.

Alex Cross isn't the only recent film to shoot in the Heritage Museum. Michael Bay took his crew in during Transformers.