Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bill McNeal (A) on October 09, 2002 at 20:44:27

In Reply to: Red Dragon--Not Bad !! posted by rufus on October 04, 2002 at 18:49:47:

I dunno, I was a bit disappointed. Perhaps overly elevated expectations considering the incredibly talented cast.

Hopkins is as good or better than ever. It's a master class in use of facial muscles this time.

The blind woman (Watson?) is fantastic in the role. Perfect.

Harvey Keitel -- another strong performance.

Ralph Fiennes performs well as the killer but his part isn't fleshed out enough.

Ed Norton, whom I respect highly, seemed miscast. He doesn't charge the role the way Jodie Foster did in SOTL.

Things wrong with the movie:

1. The pacing is way too fast, and potentially good stuff goes overboard in the rush. A little touch like the "book code", which could've been an interesting little bit of business, gets mentioned, then dropped. This portion of the film feels wrong. And why not spend a moment more showing the blind woman getting out of the burning house?

2. At this point in the Lecter saga, why the shyness in dealing with the disposition of the Tatler guy? In the book, (I'm recalling after a decade or so here) the Tooth Fairy bites the guy's lips off, then has him tape the message (which, sans lips, sounds rather distinctive to its intended audience), then, before sending the wheelchair on its ride, tells the unfortunate sod "Oh, by the way, I lied. I don't have your lips in this chilled thermos, so we won't be getting them sewn back on." He then pours the flammable contents of the thermos on the guy, lights him up etc. In the movie you see the bite, but everything else goes by the boards, and you get a quick shot of the burning wheelchair. A waste of good dramatic potential. If, as I suspect, it was self-censorship, it's a shame.

3. Fundamentals of Drama 101: Just whose story is this? SOTL is about Clarice and her relationships. Hannibal, ditto Lecter. Red Dragon just seems confusing, half Graham half Tooth Fairy. I imagine it would have played better focussing more on Fiennes' character. If I remember the book correctly, this was indeed the case, and the reader's growing empathy with the villain energized the story. There's not really enough material to hang a good story on Graham's relationship with Lecter, the way there was in SOTL w/ Clarice & Lecter.

The movie breezes along, and there are some good things ( the little bit with Grahan telling the blind woman her hair's a train wreck really plays well -- was this in the book?) The feel is appropriately dark and the cinematography seems quite competent.

I disliked the soundtrack. The music when Fiennes begins to rave at one point is just totally wrong and distracting.

This is certainly the worst of the three "major-production" Hannibal movies. I saw Manhunter some years back & found it tepid; I can't remember anything about it today, and don't understand why others evidently feel it is so good.

Still, you'll want to see if it you liked the others and at least it doesn't drag...