Red Dragon

After the disappointment fans had from the halfway decent “Hannibal” movie, a prequel to “The Silence of the Lambs,” directed by the awesome Brett Ratner, was made in 2002. This is “Red Dragon,” based off of the Thomas Harris novel. And how is this film? It returns back to what made “The Silence of the Lambs” so great, and quite possibly, maybe even scarier. You could consider this a remake to Michael Mann’s “Manhunter.”

In the role of Will Graham, we have Edward Norton, who plays Graham as a no-nonsense type of a cop. He’s straightforward, hardworking, and doesn’t take any bluff, even from one of the scariest killers you have ever seen. He has a talent of getting an idea of what a sick mind is thinking, which he sees more as a curse than an approval. He’s a healthy guy with a dark edge. They address the same issue in “Red Dragon” with Graham the way they did in “Manhunter,” but Norton still looks like he is fairly in control. There’s never a feeling that he will go crazy at any given moment. When he’s trying to get into the criminal’s head, Norton seems like he is having an epiphany. He just has one foot confidently in the real world, so when Lecter says that they are alike, it just sounds like one of those villain speeches you’ve heard so many times before. Norton gives a solid performance in this movie.

“The Tooth Fairy” is played by the great Ralph Fiennes in this film, who portrays him more tragically than Noonan in “Manhunter.” Much more backstory is given to “The Tooth Fairy” in this film, and the more you know, the more you feel sorry for him. As you watch him, you get the feeling that he doesn’t want to do his job. Sadly due to his abusive past with a horrible combination of a sick mind makes a worried need to go through a strange change. You see him interact more with people, how he works, how often he’s constantly battling with himself, making a great performance and great character in this film. He’s a killer you have more compassion towards.

Hannibal Lecter is seen much more in this film than in “Manhunter,” which makes it amazing. Anthony Hopkins returns, since he made this role into an icon that whenever anybody says Lecter, you’ll immediately think of Hopkins. He’s slow, calculating, and could be evil but you never got mad at him. Ratner increased Lecter’s role compared to the book because of his fame, unlike in “Manhunter” where he was used as much as he was in the book. Since we had two movies to increase the scare value, by the time “Red Dragon” was released, there was a lot more build up to what we should get scared at. We also see how he was caught in this film, which is interesting but how did he survive getting stabbed with arrows and shot like three times? True his age can be a little disrupting, but there’s more time, we had two other films to build on his character, and it’s an Oscar-winning performance. It’s hard not to like Hopkins, who knows how to find the exact core of the role.

With the supporting cast, Graham’s wife and child are portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker and Tyler Patrick Jones. There is a connection between both of them in this film, but they are not seen as much as in “Manhunter.” The great Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays the nosy reporter, who is better in this one. Also, Jack Crawford is portrayed by one of the most beloved actors of all time, Harvey Keitel. How can you not like that?  Frankie Faison, as always since “Manhunter,” plays it cool and suave as Barney Matthews.

Emily Watson portrays Reba McClane, the blind girl who dates “The Tooth Fairy,” who is far more memorable in this role than Joan Allen. Much more time is given to both of their romance, and more detail is shown in how their relationship grows. This makes it tragic to see how their relationship ends up at the end. It’s a hard choice for “The Tooth Fairy” to kill off McClane, but we know why because we’ve seen them grow close to one another. Their relationship is important in this movie. It gives the character more purpose and a weight.

If you read the Harris novel this film is based off of, you’ll know that this film follows it pretty close. However, you’ll notice this film has two endings: a fake-out and the real climax. You may not be a fan of fake-out deaths, but for this film, Norton had the opportunity to get a psychological and physical confrontation with “The Tooth Fairy.” You see more of Lecter and McClane in this film. Nostalgia Critic said that the story in this film is spelled out a little more than in “Manhunter.” For example, when Lecter’s cell was investigated on, they actually show what the detectives did in order to fool him, and whether or not it works. A lot of this film is more visually appealing to the eye. The creepy sets, the bizarre imagery, and the dark shadows. It moves smoothly, with the exception of the ending, every scene seemed to fall nicely in with the next. The characters that needed to be focused on were constantly focused on. Even the ending isn’t horrible; you might think it’s superfluous.

So my advice to you is that if you loved “The Silence of the Lambs” and you want to see another awesome movie of Hannibal Lecter, check out “Red Dragon.” I promise you, you’ll love it. It even Segway's nicely into "The Silence of the Lambs" when Clarice comes to see Lecter for the first time. I give this film a solid 10.

Now with the modern day look on Lecter having a great start, a not so good sequel, but a much better prequel, will they continue making films, or stop right here? Look out for that tomorrow when I conclude my “Lecter-a-thon.”