Since Red Dragon is taken from the Thomas Harris novel, it is also basically a
remake of Director Michael Mann's Manhunter, as well. One wonders why they would
bother, since Manhunter wasn't made that long ago, and it is far from lacking as
a film, but since this story is where Dr. Hannibal Lecter makes his first
appearance then I suppose the temptation to have Anthony Hopkins play the role
was too much (that and the fact that they raked in a lot of money at the box
office was also another good incentive, as well).
Once again, as in Manhunter, we have former FBI profiler Will Graham (here
played by Edward Norton) who is called back to work to help hunt down the Tooth
Fairy (played here by Ralph Fiennes), who has killed two families during the
full moon and threatens to strike again. Once again, as in Manhunter, the Tooth
Fairy finds love with a blind woman (superbly played here by Emily Watson;
although I still prefer Joan Allen's portrayal in the first film), and Will
Graham depends on help from the incarcerated Lecter in order to catch his latest
quarry. Surprisingly, Anthony Hopkins plays Lecter with a somewhat bored manner,
as if he would really rather be elsewhere. I found myself actually missing Brian
Cox, especially in the scene in Manhunter where Lecter calls up to get Graham's
home address, Cox still managed to be scary and riveting even while pouring on
the charm for a secretary over the phone.
Red Dragon does stand out with an exceptional opening scene that actually shows
how Graham captured Dr. Lecter many years ago. And screenwriter Ted Tally, who
also wrote Silence Of The Lambs, uses the original ending from Harris'
novel--which director Michael Mann wisely avoided using in Manhunter, because of
it's derivative slasher movie feel. Speaking of derivative, I really did not
care for the glimpses into the Tooth fairy's background, which revealed a Norman
Bates-like upbringing with a domineering mother. We understand that the Tooth
Fairy is an extremely messed up person simply because he is a serial killer, he
slaughtered two whole families; so there really was no need to delve into his
childhood. This only served to create false sympathy for a character that
deserved none. Tom Noonan's Tooth Fairy in Manhunter was almost sympathetic
solely on the strength of his performance alone.
It should be pretty obvious by now that I prefer Manhunter to Red Dragon. Red
Dragon has a great cast, a fine scriptwriter, and even the same cinematographer
as Manhunter. It is a slick, well-mounted production, but it lacks the one thing
that Michael Mann's film had in spades: intensity. The super-charged sequence
in Manhunter, when they discover that Lecter has been communicating with the
Tooth Fairy, and try to gather evidence without tipping off the good doctor, is
a pulse-pounding race against time. Oddly, the very same sequence in Red Dragon
is flat, lifeless and empty of any suspense whatsoever. Another thing that annoys
me about Red Dragon is how it steals lines from Manhunter, literally word for word.
If you've already seen Manhunter, then it would probably be best to skip Red
Dragon, because you have already seen the definitive version of this story.
Red Dragon comes complete with a director and writer commentary, deleted scenes,
and DVD-Rom features for PCs. Real-life FBI profiler John Douglas profiles
Hannibal Lecter in a special feature, and there is a timeline for the character. --SF