Average Rating: 
Rating: - Red Dragon 4 ¿ Manhunter 4
The debate has raged long and hard as to which of the adaptations of Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon is superior with most people plumping for whichever version they saw first. For this is the problem with remakes (or watching a movie having already enjoyed the novel) and particularly with thrillers, where it's the twists and turns that dictate just how much viewing pleasure and excitement there is for the audience. So at the end of the day being objective about which movie is better and how to rate each one is very difficult (and perhaps all that serves to prove is the pointlessness of the debate) but for what it's worth here goes...In a third outing as the world's favourite cannibal Anthony Hopkins returns in this prequel to "The Silence of The Lambs", complete with a ponytail in a new and very clever opening sequence that pits Hannibal Lecter against the FBI's special agent Will Graham (Edward Norton). Directed by Brett Ratner, (a surprise choice given that his last two outings were The Family Man and Rush Hour 2), Red Dragon sets out to recapture the tension of Jonathan Demme's multi-oscar winning "Silence of The Lambs" and to this end the sets of Hannibal Lecter's prison cell have been expertly recreated. Anthony Heald makes a return as the disgustingly sleazy asylum boss, Dr Chilton and Anthony Hopkin's part is inflated from both the novel of its origin and Manhunter. For make no mistake, this is (unlike Ridley Scott's Hannibal) not a Hannibal Lecter film, just as it was never a Hannibal Lecter novel. Instead the focus of Red Dragon is actually Will Graham's showdown with his own inner demon's and another serial killer, Francis Dollarhyde, christened the Tooth Fairy by the movie's tabloid press and played expertly by the ever excellent Ralph Fiennes, complete with a body toned by months of lifting weights and an enormous tattoo, (present in the novel but absent from the book) of the eponymous Red Dragon, covering his entire back. But is it any good? Well, I genuinely believe that how much you enjoy this movie wholly depends on whether or not you have previously seen and enjoyed Michael Mann's original cult movie of the same novel, because for the most part both movies follow the same path and in places the same script. Being objective, and trying to put aside the baggage of having both seen and enjoyed Manhunter (I own it on VHS), I have to admit that this is by Hollywood standards a superior thriller with an excellent cast. As previously mentioned, to my mind Ralph Fiennes is both the star and strength of this movie. However, despite being an enormous fan of Edward Norton's previous work (Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, The Score etc.), I would have to say that he was miscast as special agent Will Graham in that his appearance is too preppy and his portrayal seems to lack the inward depth of a man tortured by his own thoughts and the mental scars of his previous (mental and physical) duel with Dr Lecter. Don't get me wrong Edward Norton's performance is fine but it just lacks that spark and charisma of his other roles, which I cant help but feel is partly as a result of being miscast and partly as the result of some uninspired by the numbers direction by Brett Ratner. As for Anthony Hopkin's, he is surprisingly forgettable. His part is little more than a cameo, where he only just steers clear of hamming it up and fails to chill in the same way as he did in his Oscar winning performance back in 1991's Silence of The Lambs. Harvey Keitel meanwhile is as reliable as ever as Graham's FBI boss Jack Crawford but although fine (scant praise for such fine actors) Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Watson are only required to sleepwalk through their parts on cruise control. This is perhaps because they have small and undemanding roles with not enough character development or screen time to get their teeth into the parts. That aside there is also much to recommend Red Dragon, other than Ralph Fiennes excellent performance. The pre-credits sequence for example and the finale are both very thrilling and very enjoyable and there are several other scenes throughout the movie, particularly those featuring Francis Dollarhyde's character development, that were absent in Manhunter but more prevelant in the novel, which positively add to the viewing experience. The debate will no doubt rage long and hard but in the end which one is better is a pointless argument and a moot point. The best way to watch either movie is with an open mind but once you have seen either version its probably best to avoid the other, as your perceptions of the plot, the characters and their appearance will in all likelihood be indelibly set, thus spoiling your enjoyment of any other version. I'm scoring this one a draw, four stars ****.
Rating: - Very good, but with this cast it should have been great.
"Red Dragon" has possibly the finest cast of any movie in the last decade: Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary-Louise Parker, and of course the incomparable Sir Anthony Hopkins, reprising his career-defining role as everybody's favorite psychopath, Hannibal Lecter. The cast acquits itself honorably, and the movie is very entertaining, yet it lacks either the pervasive foreboding of "The Silence of the Lambs" or the stylishness of "Manhunter," Michael Mann's original film version of Thomas Harris' novel of "Red Dragon." Brett Ratner is a good journeyman director; he paces the movie well, and gets a good share of thrills from the terrifying story. But he lacks the distinctive style of either Mann or Jonathan Demme. Compare how Ratner and Mann stage the ultimate fate of the sleazy tabloid reporter played by Stephen Lang in "Manhunter" and by Hoffman in "Red Dragon." The basic situation is horrific beyond belief, but Ratner's staging is pedestrian compared with Mann's, which rolls down the garage ramp into our nightmares. Among the "Red Dragon" cast, Fiennes and Watson make the most of their satisfyingly showy roles, but once again it is Hopkins, with his dead-fish stare and malevolent grin, who is the truly unforgettable and indispensable member of the cast.
Rating: - Great Until the End.....
When I first saw Michael Mann's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon", I was blown away; I'd never encountered a character as evil and wiley as Hannibal Lector (Played by Brian Cox.)....Years later, I read Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs back to back, and was blown away again. Especially by Red Dragon- The end of the book was SO powerful and dark that upon finishing the book, I sat in stunned silence for the rest of the train ride home. How could they have NOT used that end in Manhunter??? Well, here's more of the same....Red Dragon is perfect in nearly every way, except for the ending, which, while retaining the same setting, opts for a more "Crowd-pleasing" finale...and loses that punched-in-the-gut feeling that the novel gives. The cast is top-notch, as one would expect from actors the caliber of Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman (Especially good as the loathsome Freddie Lounds..), etc. Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, and Anthony Hopkins are all spellbinding in their respective roles as Fed, Serial Killer, and Imprisoned Cannibal, and the actual depiction of the capture of Lector, as well as his infamous dinner party is a real treat. I just couldn't get past that ending, though. Ever since Hannibal came out, I've been looking forward to the promised "Faithful" adaptation of Red Dragon. This isn't it. It's a well-made thriller with a cop-out ending. See the movie, by all means; If you liked the previous Hannibal films, you'll like this. But then do yourself a favor and read the book, to see the TRUE finale to the Will Graham/Tooth Fairy saga.
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