Rating: 
Summary: Horrible
Review: Don't even bother with this movie, just watch Red Dragon. The movie began very consistant with the book, which I read shortly before seeing both films, but after about the first thirty minutes it went off on its own tangent. The acting is cheesy, the dialogue is pourly delivered, and Brian Cox as Hanibal Lector was terrible. Tom Noonan portrayed the Dragon as some love sick teenager who would drop all that he had done for the love of a girl. It completely ignored the fact of how disturbed and tormented he was by the Dragon, which was of course his alter-ego personified in the painting by William Blake which also was curiously absent from this film. It left out all of the development of Dolarhydes character, including his love for Reba, and his attempt to control the Dragon. And the ending... oh boy, that was the worst. In this version you get to see him try to murder Reba, the only woman he ever had true human feelings for, when in the book he wanted nothing more than to let her live and keep her from the Dragons grasp. Red Dragon strayed from the book ending a bit as well, but was a little more consistent with Thomas Harris' original ending. Both films left out the inner-struggle of Will Graham and his ultimate cowardice before the Dragon which led to him losing his own family. Hollywood wants a hero, and although Will leads to the destruction of the Dragon, he was not a hero. Both films made him one. Red Dragon is more consistent with the book, it developes Dolarhydes character, it has a better ending, and brings more insight to the character of Hanibal Lector. Hopefully Thomas Harris will continue this series. I want to see more...
Rating:
Summary: people are insane
Review: Don't get me wrong here. Great book... great story... but poor execution. This movie is so dated that it's almost hysterical. I love movies from all eras so I'm not someone who doesn't like anything that isn't new. Most new movies stink. If a movie ages well and can be enjoyed by all ages... then it deserves respect and attention. But this... ha.
Petersen and Cox are great actors but Mann turned Harris' novel into a Miami Vice episode. At the height of that show's popularity Mann tried to use some of the same ultimately cheezy elements is this movie. If I was a young adult in 1986 and dressed like Sonny Crockett I would have thought this movie was the bomb.... but in hindsight it's laughable.
Petersen gets credit for trying to portray Graham the way he was written by Harris... a troubled and emotionally disturbed guy. Norton plays him more straight up in 'Red Dragon.' Regardless.. Mann lets his arrogance over his self-created Miami Vice craze take over so much that viewers should just dismiss what critics call - "stunning visuals, use of color and atmosphere." Come on all you pretentious movie knuckleheads. Get over yourselves and admit that this movie has a few good moments in the acting department but overall just takes the Tubbs backseat to the Crockett that is Red Dragon.
Check out Heat for a good Michael Mann movie... when he didn't have Miami Vice on the brain... as I obviously do... He's a great director... NOW... NOT THEN....
Rating: 
Summary: The bar was set high right here...
Review: While Red Dragon (the latest remake of this film) has the star attraction of Anthony Hopkins, do NOT overlook the powerful performance of Brian Cox as Hannibal Lector in this movie. You might know this actor from Braveheart and he plays Lector as cold if not colder and calculating than Hopkins.
William L. Petersen in the lead is another outstanding performance and makes Edward Norton in Red Dragon look childish in comparison. The makers of Red Dragon don't focus on this character as much as Hopkins is the star but they should have as the main story line is this character's overcoming his fears just as Clarice had to overcome hers in Silence of the Lambs. In fact every role here is played by actors you know the face but not the name. Much more stylish and slick than Red Dragon, this is the best movie you've never seen. If you are a fan of this genre of film do yourself a favor and get this movie! One of my all time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: What if "The Red Dragon" was done ala "Miami Vice"?
Review: Two points I would like to add to the general commentary beyond agreeing that this film is well worth checking out, even if it means you will never be able to listen to "In-a-gadda-da-vida" every again. First, the difference between the current release "The Red Dragon" and this earlier adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel titled "Manhunter" is as clear as the difference between gray and white. That would be the difference of the setting for Hannibal Lecter's jail cell. In this version Brian Cox is dressed all in white in a cell with walls painted white. Contrast that with with dark dungeon where Anthony Hopkins romps in "The Silence of the Lambs" et al. and it is a noticeable stylistic difference. Take your pick for which one you think is more effective (my contention would be that you obviously do not get as much of a sense of Lecter from this film as you do in "Silence in the Lambs" strictly from the perspective of the script, without getting into the decidedly different nuances of the performances. Second, "Manhunter" is not going to remind you of "The Silence of the Lambs," it is going to reminder you of "Miami Vice." This makes sense because director Michael Mann created the "MTV Cops" show two years before doing this film. Then again, maybe you do not remember "Miami Vice," in which case "Manhunter" will remind you of "C.S.I." because William Petersen plays the hero. If you have waited until the new version of "The Red Dragon" came out to finally go back and check this one out, shame on you for waiting until your third and final opportunity for a new film to remind you that the original Hannibal Lecter had been patiently waiting in his little white cell for you to come visit. P.S. "Manhunter" should not be confused with "The Manhunter," a 1974 TV pilot for a short-lived series starring Ken Howard as a Depression era bounty hunter. Unfortunately there should not be too much confusion because the latter is not available on videotape, although it was an above average TV-movie with some potential for a series.
Rating:
Summary: Hannibal the Cannibal meets Miami Vice
Review: I for one am very very tired of so called critics and film experts extolling the virtues of this "forgotten gem" or "classic" 16 years after it BOMBED. Sad to say, sixteen years later it still leaves a lot to be desired. Manhunter is based VERY loosely on the Harris novel and that is mistake number one. Why tamper with a good thing? The arrogance of Michael Mann is why. When the script deviates from the novel, its characters lose their essence. They go from Harris' creations to Mann's adaptions, losing all respect for their original incarnations. Next is the lame Miami Vice feel and look to this thriller. The only thing scary about Miami Vice is people still think its cool to wear penny loafers without socks. The acting is next. Overall, its solid. However, there is no comparison in the Lecter field. There is a reason Hopkins won the Oscar. Cox is good, but he is not Hannibal Lecter. Hopkins inhabited the character in a legendary way. So much so that Manhunter's producer wanted to "remake" the film with Hopkins in as Lecter (true, it also cashes in on the Hannibal phenomenon). Anyone who calls Red Dragon a "remake" of Manhunter should read the book. The DVD edition of Manhunter suffers from a horrible, and I mean horrible, conversion. It is dark and murky. At frst I thought it was a lame attempt to hide the Miami Vice feel, but no...its just a bad conversion. The movie is enjoyable on its own merits, but Silence is golden, Hannibal is king, and Dragon reigns supreme. That is the true trilogy, as it was originally envisioned.
Rating: 
Summary: Far superior to the film "Red Dragon"
Review: I have always felt that Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lecter was superfluous and even campy, which is why I was sad to hear that Brian Cox would not accept the role in "Silence of the Lambs." Nevertheless, I went to see "Red Dragon" this weekend with some friends and I was thoroughly disappointed. In my opinion "Manhunter" is the original "Red Dragon" and for its time a far better product than the new release. Anthony Hopkins is joke in my book, and he completely ruins the movie. He is the complete antithesis of what Harris had in mind for the literary character of the insane Dr Lecter. For those of you who want save some money and see the original "Red Dragon", I suggest that one purchase "Manhunter" before you see "Red Dragon." The only thing I will say about "Red Dragon" was that the Cinematography was better (obviously due to technological advances in the last fourteen years), and the portrayal of the Red Dragon serial killer was a little better. But at the end of the day give me Brian Cox as Lecter and William Peterson as Agent Graham in "Manhunter" versus Hopkins and Norton in " Red Dragon." Sad to say I love both Hopkins and Norton in other films.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: This review goes to all of you out there who seem to want to compair Silience of the lambs and Manhunter, well I don't want to burst your bubble but you can't. now probably saying "but A.J. why can't I, I mean there from the same series and have some of the same characters." well dingis the reason you can't is that these are two complitly different types of movies, no where the same genre. Silience is a horror movie. while Manhunter is a cop thriller. it's that simple.
Now that we have that out of the way we can get down to business. Manhunter follows the story of Will Graham, a retiered fbi agent, who is coxed out of ritirement by his old boss Jack Crawford. the reason Jack wants Will to come out of ritirement is to help him find the Tooth Fairy, a psycopath that has already murdered two families. Jack wants Will specifically because Will caught Hannibal lecter, a name I don't need to explain. To find the crimanal Will must get help from Hannibal. what follows is one of the greatest games of cat and mouse ever put on screen.
There are a few things that need to be pointed out firstly this movie was made in the eighties so expect some diffirent clothing (love those short shorts!) and some great music, seccondily this movie was mad four years before Silience, so remember silience butured the characters (or saved them) from Manhunter not the other way around. secondily Hannibal lecter is not played by Anthony Hopkins but by Brian Cox, although I do like Hopkins portrail, Brian cox plays the character with more realism. and thirdly this is an absoulutly amazing film, although most of todays big summer blockbuster movie going public will probably get lost some where in the dialog and without a car crash every few minutes, this is a gem of a flick. with amazing performances by every one in the cast. they make the characters seem gritty and real. all in all go out and see this movie. and yes I have read the book red dragon, it is in fact my favorite book, and I still love the movie
Rating:
Summary: Manhunter vs Red Dragon
Review: I just saw Red Dragon this weekend. I tried to maintain an open mind as I am a fan of the movie Manhunter. Red Dragon was nicely done using a style similar to Silence of the Lambs. You will see scenes that will definitely spark the comparison and/or tying the movies together. As in Silence Anthony Hopkins will frighten and compell you. I was happy with all the acting. Edward Norton did a nice job but there is no doubt in my mind that William Petersen did a better job in Manhunter. I was also impressed with Ralph Fiennes job of Dolarhyde, but he was no Tom Noonan. Noonan first made me feel compassion for him then he frightened the hell out of me, Fiennes did not. Dennis Farina was a better Cop than Harvey Keitel and Stephen Lang's acting as the obnoxius reporter Freddy Lounds was far better than Phillip Hoffman's rendition. Michael Mann did a brilliant job with the casting, scenes, sets, and music that gave Manhunter a very unique style. Mann's style I think would have been better in the remake than the Brett Ratner version. Why Thomas Harris refused to let them call Manhunter "Red Dragon" is beyond me. I have read all his books and Manhunter is my favorite movie made from them. If you don't own a copy of Manhunter and you like mysteries like "Along Came A Spider", "Kiss the Girls", and "The Bone Collector", you need to immediately get it.
Rating:
Summary: Manhunter is the ONLY Red Dragon movie to see
Review: I saw "Manhunter" when it first came out in 1986. I had never heard of the Hannibal Lecter character and years later, was excited when I heard about a new Lecter book/movie "Silence of the Lambs in 1991. While "Hannibal" was a disappointment, I have been eagerly awaiting the "Red Dragon" re-make for several months now. Being a die-hard "Manhunter" fan, I was interersted to see an updated version, sticking more closely to Harris' book....If you want to see an expert re-telling of Harris' first novel, check out "Manhunter." ...Joan Allen did a much more convincing portrayal in the original. Frankly, I'm disappointed the William Petersen wound up on network television. While he does an admirable job on "CSI," I expected he would be a major breakout star after "To Live and Die in LA" and "Manhunter." Unfortunately, nobody saw "Manhunter" when it came out in '86. Petersen's portrayal of tortured ex-FBI agent Will Graham is brilliant. This guy should be a much bigger star than he is. And Dennis Farina as Jack Crawford. Need I say more? Check it out. While the wardrobe, etc is a little 80's (YIKES!), you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Rest.
Review: This film in my opinion is the best Hannibal film, better than the Remake just out. Even though Manhunter stands on its own as a singular film rather than part of a series. The portrayals are exactly how I imagined them and Cox gives us the best Lecter (even though Hopkins was brilliant in SOTL). The ending improves on the book, and has the brilliant song by Iron Butterfly. This is also a very disturbing and very 80's film, which adds to the whole atmosphere. Not enoughdevelopment for Dolarhyde, but this version of the film isn't really about him so we can ignore that. Buy this and watch it befor you get preconseptions from the remake.
|
