As the tag line suggests, to understand evil, you have to go back to the beginning. This is, thus, the beginning; we see Hannibal as he was in liberty, serving culinary delights to his sophisticated guest. And after that, of course, there he is, freshly incarcerated, reduced to nine square meters and to suffering fools such as Chilton. But essentially, this is not a film about Hannibal Lecter, and that's probably what makes it work (as opposed to Ridley Scott's "Hannibal"). The same as "Silence..." was about Starling's quest, "Red Dragon" essentially focuses on Will Graham, the FBI agent who put Lecter away, and who now is taken out of retirement in order to find a new serial killer, the "Tooth Fairy". Hannibal may be the best secondary character ever, but his appeal lies in his interaction with the main characters; in this case Graham and Dolarhyde.
The story line is solid and develops in a straight-forward manner. Rather than create a work of art, the makers of this movie relied on what could be called the craft of film-making: a good story is here populated by believable, fleshed-out characters. While the personality of Graham is naturally explored to satisfaction, much screen time is also given to Francis Dolarhyde and his inner struggle, which is mesmerising to behold.
The crime scenes are harsh, but not gratuitously gory. More than cheap shock effects, they contribute to the atmosphere of terror that permeates this movie - as it did "Silence".
The cast of showbiz heavy weights is not just impressive, it is, forgive the superlative, perfect. Apart from a brilliant Norton, Hopkins and Fiennes, Emma Watson's performance in a pivotal role is incredibly accomplished.
All things considered, this film is a worthy successor (or predecessor?) of "Silence of the Lambs". And almost makes us forget about "Hannibal".
The story line is solid and develops in a straight-forward manner. Rather than create a work of art, the makers of this movie relied on what could be called the craft of film-making: a good story is here populated by believable, fleshed-out characters. While the personality of Graham is naturally explored to satisfaction, much screen time is also given to Francis Dolarhyde and his inner struggle, which is mesmerising to behold.
The crime scenes are harsh, but not gratuitously gory. More than cheap shock effects, they contribute to the atmosphere of terror that permeates this movie - as it did "Silence".
The cast of showbiz heavy weights is not just impressive, it is, forgive the superlative, perfect. Apart from a brilliant Norton, Hopkins and Fiennes, Emma Watson's performance in a pivotal role is incredibly accomplished.
All things considered, this film is a worthy successor (or predecessor?) of "Silence of the Lambs". And almost makes us forget about "Hannibal".