Red Dragon

Director: Brett Ratner

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel

Already filmed once before as Manhunter, the question I asked when I heard about this re-make was "Why?" The only answer I could find was that they wanted Anthony Hopkins to play ever incarnation of Lecter that has been in print. Admittedly Manhunter was not a perfect adaptation of the best book in the Harris cannon, but what it lacked in adaptation, it made up for immensely in acting and visuals. So, therefore, it was with great trepidation that I awaited this film. 

I was never a lover of Silence of the Lambs, I felt that it meandered too much, and was never really as "terrifying" as everyone made out. Hopkins' performance in that film was nothing more than bad acting, with a bad accent, hammed up to the maximum to disguise it all. Then with the sequel, Hannibal, we were presented with a totally differing style of film. More gruesome and chilling, this was more like it. However, the characterisation of Starling was lost, and Hopkins was hamming it up even more. Still, it was good shock entertainment. Out of all the books, Red Dragon was always my favorite. The Tooth Fairy was (and still is) one of the best creations by Harris to date (and that includes the overblown Hannibal Lecter, or Lektor if ya want to take it back a few years!!)

So then we come to this re-telling. The performances on offer are of a high standard (except for the Hammy Hopkins acting, which is as bad as ever!). Ed Norton (always a pleasure to watch...have I praised him enough over the past few years?) portrays Agent Graham brilliantly, and could quite happily carry the film on his own. With support from Fiennes, playing Dollarhyde (the Tooth Fairy) with dedication, and feeling. You care for this character, despite his obvious insanity! The tattoo deserves a mention here....WOW!! The rest of the cast, Watson and Keitel in particular are as good as ever. The Hannibal parts of the script were extended out a bit (hey, if you are paying for Hopkins, you need him in the film more), but not to the detriment of the story.

If you have seen Manhunter many times, as I have, you do get to feel that a lot of the film is practically a scene for scene copy (similar to that darn-awful Psycho a few years ago), but the source material was the same, so it was only expected. The differences only really occur at the beginning of the film, when we see how Agent Graham captured Lector all those years ago, and at the end, where the full ending from the book is returned (and you don't have Iron Butterfly's In Da Gadda Da Vida playing....which I missed!!)

The soundtrack to the film is recognisable throughout as the work of Danny Elfman. In danger a few times of becoming the Batman theme, he manages to keep it away from this, and it works in setting the pace and tone of the scenes. 

Is this film better than Manhunter? I'm not sure. Is it as good as Manhunter? Hell yeah! It may lack the visual style, but the inclusion of the capture of Hannibal Lector by Agent Graham adds a nice bit of back story.

If you are a fan of the series, then you must see this film. If you enjoyed Manhunter, but wasn't too keen on the others, then this film is still an essential. If you never cared for any of the Lecter series, I don't think this will change your mind.