Ok, so apart from that track O didn't really miss Michael Mann's music of choice for his 1986 Red Dragon adaptation Manhunter (and I REALLY didn't miss Strong As I Am). Manhunter's one of those films which always inspires useless debate among fans and detractors. Is it an overly glossy 80s thriller or an almost visionary film on the ability to empathize with evil and its consequences? Is it better than Silence Of The Lambs? Is Brain Cox' calculating sophisticated Lecktor (yes, that's how it's spelled in that film) better than OTT-Anthony's Lecter? Whichever way you feel about the answers, I always thought Manhunter's protagonist, Will Graham, was a million times more interesting than Clarice Starling and the same goes for Manhunter's serial killer on-the-loose, the Toothfairy. Still, Strong As I Am IS a godawful piece of music.....
So I was never entirely opposed to the idea of a remake (from source material). Especially since Manhunter leaves at least one hugely fascinating aspect of Thomas Harris novel untapped (that whole red dragon-thing). And when Hannibal, which turned a thriller into a twisted romance-cum-hamfest, made a gazillion dollars, you knew it was going to happen. It's not as though Harris churns out the Lecter novels at the speed of light. So then Silence-scripter Ted Tally became involved. He would no doubt turn (and in fact has turned) a sickening subject to something acceptable to your average middle-aged, middle-class and generally jolly suburbian. And when you put the not-too-heavyweight Brett Ratner behind the camera, you know what this movie is going for: the crowd-pleasing approach. The ending in particular (much like SOTL's) is a typical set-piece, devoid of thematic interest. Also, Hannibal is now onscreen for 20 minutes, whilst the movie really only requires him for 10. That's a shame, because I still believe that somewhere in Red Dragon is the story of the dehumanizing detective and the humanizing serial killer or at least something more than 120 minutes of tension.
The main problem I have with the film is that neither screenwriter nor director seem to connect with the Will Graham character. Thus the theme of his ability to empathize with serial killer, which is predominant in Manhunter, is mentioned but never really developed. When he goes to talk with his mentor/ nemesis, Hannibal, the sense of fear is not one of being confronted with his own innate capacity for evil, but it's one springing from the pretty rational fear you'd have for someone who stabbed and almost killed you. There are little touches here and there that add to that idea. For instance, in Manhunter's first scene the photos of the murdered families become a threat. In this film, they're merely shown. Also, a crucial sequence in Manhunter features Graham walking through the victims' house talking to himself as though he's the killer. It is completely absent here. The fact Ed Norton chooses to play Graham more internally than William Petersen isn't necessarily a wrong one, but because of Ratner's reliance of two-shot set-ups, it doesn't really work either. And that's the film's second problem, sometimes you feel Ratner isn't really helping his cast with his fondness of the close-up. This is a shame, because the acting is pretty good. Hopkins is more angry than he's ever been and he isn't half as hammy as the trailers make him appear. Still, the stand-outs are Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson. Their scenes together are the hightlights of the film.
And there's more good to be had. The addition of the opening sequence and the climax may have been misjudged in my opinion, but the addition of the Toothfairy's connection with the Red Dragon is essential. And his scene with the piece itself is a corker. Far more relevant however is the fact that no matter which way you look at it, Red Dragon is tense. Especially when Fiennes make his entrance into the film.
So what you have here is a film that seen as entertainment is simply very good. On a deeper level, only the development of the Toothfairy makes it interesting and the handling of Graham is a bit weak, but who's going to look deeper when a film's more than entertaining enough for two hours? Oh, and did I mention it doesn't have Strong As I Am in it?
Rating: 7/10
So I was never entirely opposed to the idea of a remake (from source material). Especially since Manhunter leaves at least one hugely fascinating aspect of Thomas Harris novel untapped (that whole red dragon-thing). And when Hannibal, which turned a thriller into a twisted romance-cum-hamfest, made a gazillion dollars, you knew it was going to happen. It's not as though Harris churns out the Lecter novels at the speed of light. So then Silence-scripter Ted Tally became involved. He would no doubt turn (and in fact has turned) a sickening subject to something acceptable to your average middle-aged, middle-class and generally jolly suburbian. And when you put the not-too-heavyweight Brett Ratner behind the camera, you know what this movie is going for: the crowd-pleasing approach. The ending in particular (much like SOTL's) is a typical set-piece, devoid of thematic interest. Also, Hannibal is now onscreen for 20 minutes, whilst the movie really only requires him for 10. That's a shame, because I still believe that somewhere in Red Dragon is the story of the dehumanizing detective and the humanizing serial killer or at least something more than 120 minutes of tension.
The main problem I have with the film is that neither screenwriter nor director seem to connect with the Will Graham character. Thus the theme of his ability to empathize with serial killer, which is predominant in Manhunter, is mentioned but never really developed. When he goes to talk with his mentor/ nemesis, Hannibal, the sense of fear is not one of being confronted with his own innate capacity for evil, but it's one springing from the pretty rational fear you'd have for someone who stabbed and almost killed you. There are little touches here and there that add to that idea. For instance, in Manhunter's first scene the photos of the murdered families become a threat. In this film, they're merely shown. Also, a crucial sequence in Manhunter features Graham walking through the victims' house talking to himself as though he's the killer. It is completely absent here. The fact Ed Norton chooses to play Graham more internally than William Petersen isn't necessarily a wrong one, but because of Ratner's reliance of two-shot set-ups, it doesn't really work either. And that's the film's second problem, sometimes you feel Ratner isn't really helping his cast with his fondness of the close-up. This is a shame, because the acting is pretty good. Hopkins is more angry than he's ever been and he isn't half as hammy as the trailers make him appear. Still, the stand-outs are Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson. Their scenes together are the hightlights of the film.
And there's more good to be had. The addition of the opening sequence and the climax may have been misjudged in my opinion, but the addition of the Toothfairy's connection with the Red Dragon is essential. And his scene with the piece itself is a corker. Far more relevant however is the fact that no matter which way you look at it, Red Dragon is tense. Especially when Fiennes make his entrance into the film.
So what you have here is a film that seen as entertainment is simply very good. On a deeper level, only the development of the Toothfairy makes it interesting and the handling of Graham is a bit weak, but who's going to look deeper when a film's more than entertaining enough for two hours? Oh, and did I mention it doesn't have Strong As I Am in it?
Rating: 7/10
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