Rating: 
Summary: In many ways, a better thriller than "Silence of the Lambs."
Review: In his novel "Silence of the Lambs", author Thomas Harris revisted the character of Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector, a super-intelligent, super-sick serial killer locked up in a hospital for the criminally insane. Revisted, because Lector first appeared as a supporting character in a previous novel called "Red Dragon," which is the source for Michael Mann's film, "Manhunter."Before "Heat," before "Last of the Mohicans," Mann informed film fans that he was a huge talent with "Manhunter." This taut, slick thriller tells the story of Will Graham, a burnt-out retired FBI agent with a terrible gift. Graham can empathize with murderers so clearly that he can start to think like them, and eerily predict their next move. The problem is, by the time he starts to think like them he has put his sanity and soul in peril. If this sounds a little gimmicky, the combination of Harris' story, Mann's direction, and William Petersen's performance as Graham keep it real. Graham is brought back by his former boss to help the bureau with a pattern killer. Unlike "Silence of the Lambs," which pushed the pursuit of Jame Gumb into the background, "Manhunter" is almost entirely about the pursuit of a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy. Mann's direction is nothing like Jonathon Demme's; despite the presence of a few common characters (Lector, FBI commander Jack Crawford, psychiatrist Dr. Chilton) the movies are totally dissimilar in their "look and feel." Yet Mann's film is terrific. Visually clearer and more brightly lit, "Manhunter" proceeds more as a straight-ahead crime drama than the psychological thriller of "Silence of the Lambs." Like "Silence of the Lambs", "Manhunter" is about two monsters, and as in second film, Dr. Lector here is the FBI's key to finding a killer still at large. Brian Cox portrays the bad doctor as more outspoken and confident. It isn't Hopkin's portrayal -- it's quite different -- but it's so effective that, when I learned of the casting of Hopkins, I felt disappointment. Cox, I thought, was the obvious choice. (Live and learn). As good as Cox is, perhaps the biggest draw of "Manhunter" is the hypnotic performance by Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde. Noonan is touching, tragic and terrifiying as the man driven to murder entire families. Noteworthy too is a piece of music: Mann uses Iron Butterly's acid rock classic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to score the action climax. If that sounds like an odd choice, it isn't; it's one of the most exciting sequences on film. I recommend "Manhunter" highly, both to fans of "Silence of the Lambs", and to anyone who likes a good crime thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: The First of the Lector Trilogy.
Review: When a former FBI Agent by the name of Will Graham (William Petersen) is asked by his Former Boss (Dennis Farina) to go on a Hunt of a Dangerous Serial Killer known as the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan), who Preys on families. The only person, who could help Will on the Case, Beside his Boss, is Serial Killer, Dr. Hannibal Lector (Brian Cox). Directed by Micheal Mann (Ali, Heat, Thief) made a Strong Stylized Thriller (Which the film, it won`t appeal to everyone). The film is Based on the Novel:Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal). Mann wrote the Screenplay for this Film. The movie also stars:Kim Griest (Brazil), Stephen Lang (Gods & Generals) & Joan Allen (Pleasentville). Frankie Faison appears in a Cameo, which he appears in the Two Sequels as Barney. Disc 1:DVD's has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer with an fine Digitally Remastered-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD Extras are Interviews, Bios, Collector's Booklet & an Trailer. Disc 2:Director's Cut has a OK anamorphic Widescreen transfer with a Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound with an Extra Three Mintues. Alternative DVD is Out now, Which is Micheal Mann's Personal new Director's Cut, which it will have an Commentary Track from the director with another DVD Extras. This film has been rediscover years after The Silence of the Lambs hits in Theaters back in 1991, which is the Second novel in the Series. Manhunter (Red Dragon) has been Re-Imagined with Anthony Hopkins playing his Famous Role-Hannibal Lector. This is a Cult Classic Thriller. Watch for Chris Elliot in a Scene. Fine Cinematography by Dante Spinotti (Bandits, Blink, Red Dragon-2002). Super 35. Grade:A-.
Rating: 
Summary: good, not great
Review: After hearing all the rave reviews for the prequel that was better then silence, and reading the book that is one of my all time favorites. I bought this movie. It's true to the book but for some reason it just didnt hold my attention the way a great movie does. The "stellar" performance by tom noonan as francis dolarhyde is ridiculous, yes he did a decent job but they did absolutely nothing with the character. He only had 3 mins of screen time for crying out loud I suggest you rent this movie before you buy it, if you don't like it then you're not stuck with it and if you do then more power to you. It's definitely worth watching just to see if it suits your tastes
Rating:
Summary: SEE THE ORIGINAL
Review: Despite what's been written about this movie (and it's awesome source novel, Red Dragon), this is not a prequel. Manhunter, directed by Michael (Miami Vice) Mann, was released in 1986, 5 years before SOTL. See this movie and meet Hannibal for the very first time. He is insidiously played by the Scottish Brian Cox. While not Anthony Hopkins, Cox is a more realistic Lecter (closer to the book) because he's more calculating then Hopkins' maniacal portrayal. He did not get to reprise his role in SOTL as he had a prior stage commitment. With a solid story, a better villian (the Tooth Fairy), a compelling soundtrack (more on that in a moment), and a stronger cast, Manhunter is obviously the superior film. Having said that, let me just point out that Manhunter does not revolve around Hannibal Lecter even though he permeates the movie. Don't expect him to get as much screen time here as he does in SOTL (or Hannibal and Red Dragon for that matter). The interaction between Will Graham (Wiliam Peterson) and Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) is much more dynamic then the clinical turn by Starling (Foster) and Crawford (Glenn) in SOTL. The excellent supporting cast here includes Joan Allen (Reba), Stephen Lang (Freddie Lounds), and Kim Greist (Molly) (all miscast in Red Dragon). Did I mention Tom Noonan as the delightfully menacing Tooth Fairy? The mood throughout is set and paced by the music and the lighting. They both compliment each scene extremely well. The cat and mouse scene near the end is highlighted by great camera angles, judicious editing, vivid colors, and the use of (most of) Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Seriously, where else will you find a song for that scene that runs over 10 minutes long this side of a John Bohnam drum solo? Besides, nobody complained when the Simpsons used it (I. Ron Butterfly !!!). The Graham vs. the Tooth Fairy climax ranks among one of the best final confrontations ever filmed (even if it wasn't in the book). It's easily superior to the Starling vs. Buffalo Bill showdown. For the record, it hasn't bothered me a bit seeing Hannibal change from Cox to Hopkins. I'm even glad to see the movie remade as Red Dragon and explore more elements of the book. I've read somewhere that editing has been done to the currently available VHS print. All I know is that my copy is 120 minutes long and the new version is listed at 118 minutes. If you liked SOTL, you'll love Manhunter (especially the book). You also might want to track down the excellent, out of print, soundtrack featuring Shriekback (and Iron Butterfly) and/or Daniel O'Brien's Hannibal Files book. Sleep tight.
Rating:
Summary: The REAL first Hannibal Lecktar story.
Review: Do you prefer bland acting? How about poor directing? Maybe you like overdone characterizations and sloppy, predictable twist endings. If that's the case, then run right over and see Brett Ratner's Red Dragon. But if you prefer a cold, dark, gripping and often scary suspense film, buy Manhunter.
From other reviews, you probably know the story. Will Graham (William Peterson) is called back from retirement to help the FBI track down the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan, who's much scarier than Ralph Finnes). Over the course of the film, Graham calls upon Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox, who's Lecktor is calmer, more toned down, and slightly more realistic than Anthony Hopkns)for help, though the two share a past. I won't go into details, since it's the twists and turns that make this such a wonderful thriller, but believe me when I say it's almost better than Silence of the Lambs.
Writer/director Michael Mann, fresh off of Miami Vice, uses hsi slick, techincal style to create a cold, dark atmosphere, and shows us what characters are feeling and thinking, rather than spelling it out through dialogue. He keeps his actors from going over the top, giving each of them a realistic edge. Peterson's Graham is a troubled man, who wants nothing more than to be with his family, but can't help but get pulled back into duty. Noonan's Tooth Fairy is quiet, calm, with purity of purpose. His Dollarhyde is nervous, embarassed. And Cox's Lecktor is outwardly polite, calm and collected, but he still shows an inner chaos and insanity. There are no over the top speaches here, no outlandish antics. There is a subdued nature to this film that allows it a level of realism, thus making it more terrifying.
Manhunter is a great lead in to Silence of the Lambs, and in some ways superior. Red Dragon is a poorly made melodrama. Do yourself a favor. Spend your money on Manhunter.
Rating:
Summary: Read the novel AND see this film!
Review: I first rented this movie in the late '80s, and I really only did so to see Chris Elliot's cameo -- give me a break, I was really bored that weekend! Years later, when I saw Silence of the Lambs in the theater, I recognized the name of the doctor and realized that these two works were somehow related, and eventually ended up reading all four of Thomas Harris' novels and seeing all five film adaptations, of which Manhunter is my personal favorite. Upon reflection, I initially found the film's ending a bit stereotypically Hollywood, and not quite up to the same high level of quality found in the rest of the film. As I later read the novel, I at first found myself liking the book's ending better, but understood how it might have been much harder to film -- that is, until I got past the red herring to the novel's REAL ending, which made Manhunter's ending seem positively inspired by comparison. (Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit too hard on Harris, and giving Michael Mann a bit too much of a pass on this point....) If you don't like Michael Mann's directorial style, or if you're one of those pseudo-intellectuals who can't look at a film made in another decade without calling it "dated" -- or if you think Anthony Hopkins is the only actor who should ever be legally allowed to play the character of Hannibal Lector --then you might not like this film. Though it often strays from the novel a little bit, and leaves almost all of the exposition regarding the Tooth Fairy's origins out, it all still works. Noonan gives an excellent and economic performance, as does Nancy Allen (and their love scene is one of the more tasteful and romantic in recent memory). Brian Cox also has a different take on the Lector character than Hopkins, but it is ultimately A) closer to the novel's depiction and B) more realistic and believable. Sorry, Tony, but you have to admit, as great as your performance was in Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal comes off much better when the actor playing him resists the urge to chew scenery -- no pun intended.... But it is William Petersen's portrayal of Investigator Graham that really carries the film, and rightly so. As I said before, the novel gives us much, much more background on the Tooth Fairy than the movie does, but the main focus of the story is on Graham and his own internal struggles. I was especially impressed with one scene in particular that Petersen and Mann really pulled off well, as far as taking a great moment from the novel and translating it into a great movie moment. It's the scene in the middle of the film when Graham is seated at a diner, staring out into the rainy night, playing the answering machine message of one of the victims in his head: "Hi, this is Valerie Leads; I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now..." because she's been murdered, of course. Absentmindedly, Graham says aloud, "Me too." The waitress passing by asks if he was asking for more coffee, and he tells her no. Turning back to the window, having now made up his mind to throw himself completely into the investigation and see it through to the end, Graham says out loud, as if the Tooth Fairy could hear him, "It's just you and me now, sport." This was a great emotional moment in the novel, and Mann and Petersen (and the music score) also manage to make it a great emotional moment in the movie as well, losing nothing in the translation. I give the same number of stars to Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs, but let's face it -- Mann's asylum for the criminally insane is much more realistic and believable than Demme's, for instance. Two different directorial styles, two different approaches to Lector, etc., but each quite good in its own right. The "re-imagining" of 2002 on the other hand is another story, and a sad one at that.... If you're in the mood for the original modern police procedural on investigating serial killers, or for a good psycholgical character study about the effects of such work on the investigators themselves, then give this film a try! PS: Why is it that when most people review books and films on Amazon, A) they seem not to notice that most of what they say has already been said in the hundreds of other reviews previously posted, and B) they seem to feel obligated to recount the entire plot, point by point, spoiler by spoiler, in excruciating detail, instead of just giving the rest of us a simple idea of why we might like or dislike the book or film in question?!
Rating:
Summary: In many ways, a better thriller than "Silence of the Lambs."
Review: In his novel "Silence of the Lambs", author Thomas Harris revisted the character of Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector, a super-intelligent, super-sick serial killer locked up in a hospital for the criminally insane. Revisted, because Lector first appeared as a supporting character in a previous novel called "Red Dragon," which is the source for Michael Mann's film, "Manhunter." Before "Heat," before "Last of the Mohicans," Mann informed film fans that he was a huge talent with "Manhunter." This taut, slick thriller tells the story of Will Graham, a burnt-out retired FBI agent with a terrible gift. Graham can empathize with murderers so clearly that he can start to think like them, and eerily predict their next move. The problem is, by the time he starts to think like them he has put his sanity and soul in peril. If this sounds a little gimmicky, the combination of Harris' story, Mann's direction, and William Petersen's performance as Graham keep it real. Graham is brought back by his former boss to help the bureau with a pattern killer. Unlike "Silence of the Lambs," which pushed the pursuit of Jame Gumb into the background, "Manhunter" is almost entirely about the pursuit of a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy. Mann's direction is nothing like Jonathon Demme's; despite the presence of a few common characters (Lector, FBI commander Jack Crawford, psychiatrist Dr. Chilton) the movies are totally dissimilar in their "look and feel." Yet Mann's film is terrific. Visually clearer and more brightly lit, "Manhunter" proceeds more as a straight-ahead crime drama than the psychological thriller of "Silence of the Lambs." Like "Silence of the Lambs", "Manhunter" is about two monsters, and as in second film, Dr. Lector here is the FBI's key to finding a killer still at large. Brian Cox portrays the bad doctor as more outspoken and confident. It isn't Hopkin's portrayal -- it's quite different -- but it's so effective that, when I learned of the casting of Hopkins, I felt disappointment. Cox, I thought, was the obvious choice. (Live and learn). As good as Cox is, perhaps the biggest draw of "Manhunter" is the hypnotic performance by Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde. Noonan is touching, tragic and terrifiying as the man driven to murder entire families. Noteworthy too is a piece of music: Mann uses Iron Butterly's acid rock classic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to score the action climax. If that sounds like an odd choice, it isn't; it's one of the most exciting sequences on film. I recommend "Manhunter" highly, both to fans of "Silence of the Lambs", and to anyone who likes a good crime thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, If I Ever Got It.
Review: Geez, ths is a great movie (way better than that horrid 're-imagining') but If you want the film I suggest you go pick it up at the store because Amazon's service is terrible. I ordered it over a week ago, and it said it would come in 4-5 business days, but 6 days later, I got another E-Mail saying it would come in 5-6 business days. I haven't ordered anything off of Amazon after it took three months to recieve the Brady Bunch Movie, but I had credit and needed to spend it, but still, I'd appreciate it if the movie came when it was supposed to.
Rating:
Summary: A great Murder Mystery
Review: This is a great Michael Mann Film. It carries the same cinematography as Thief(1981). This one he uses his Miami Vice style sets and backdrops to create an interesting scary environment. William Peterson is a detective who consults back and forth with Hannibal Lecter(who is played brilliantly by Brian Cox) to help find another serial killer in the Florida area. He does help him and with the CrimeStory legend Dennis Farina who is assisting him as a cop on the trail of the same killer. The vicious killer is played by Tom Noonan who is great in this role and fits the character in Thomas Harris' book as well. They show different sides to him before Peterson comes close to catching him. A wonderful suspense thriller with interesting Rock Scores.
Directed by Michael Mann
William Peterson, Tom Noonan, Brian Cox, Joan Allen and Dennis Farina
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but if you like the film buy the other version!
Review: I know Manhunter is somewhat dated and has a very 80s feel to it, but this was a very well-done, creepy film with decent acting and decent directing. Unfortunately, the powers that be (which I suppose in this case is director Michael Mann) have made it so that out of the 4 or 5 different VHS and DVD releases of this film, not one has ever been of the actual theatrical film. Even though these new DVD releases have some new footage put in, there are several short scenes from the original cut that have always been chopped out of these home releases, for some unknown reason. This particular release includes some new clips that add nothing to the plot of the movie and actually make you like some of the lead characters less; they were better off left on the cutting room floor, as they were originally. What makes these new scenes most distracting is that their quality is terrible, so you'll be watching a crisp, high-quality scene and all of a sudden a little grainy, awful-looking clip will appear, having been spliced back in, and then the picture quality suddenly goes to perfect again. Very distracting. I've never seen a director's cut of a film done this way, and I hope I never do again. Most directors would cringe at the thought of saying, "Yes, this is my perfect vision of how this film should have looked, even with these horrible-looking clips included." To get the best experience of this movie, stick with the 2001 release. This one is only interesting for one viewing, and only then just for hard-core fans of the film whose curiosity is piqued.
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