Rating: 
Summary: Better than expected, with flaws that should have not been.
Review: Let me first say that I have a bias towards this story. "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris in my opinion is probably one of the best mystery novels that has been published in the past
25 years. But since most movies never follow the books completely, I won't make too many unfair comparisons to the original story. I will however, compare the current movie
with it's predecessor, "Manhunter". This movie, beside it's flaws, is still very good and is what "Red Dragon" should be compared with. The good stuff about "Red Dragon" is that it does follow the basic story line better than "Manhunter". Some of the added dialogue was put in very well, and most of the scenery such as the houses and other places seemed accurate for the 80's. Some of the characters were played better, such as Harvey Keitel's portrayal of Jack Crawford (the best out of all who played him.) The finale was well done, and the film showed more of
the psyche of the "Tooth Fairy" that was relevant as well as interesting. The bad however, is more substantial. Most of the characters seemed to over act their parts. Overall, the individual characters in "Manhunter" were more believable than the ones in "Red Dragon". William Peterson, (the original Will Graham) was much better than Ed Norton (who seemed too animated), Ralph Finnes didn't have the look as Tom Noonan did (although Finnes did a really good job), and Brian Cox was so
much creepier than Anthony Hopkins (Hopkins was on character for about half of his screen time, but he seemed to overplay Hannibal at times.) Some of the extra scenes with
Hannibal were well done (the first scene), others could have been omitted (especially the last scene.) There were quite a few production problems as well, some of the background
music was at times overbearing, and some of the dialogue was not as smart as it should have been. Both movies left out important aspects to the story that were due to the directors and their visions of what is important. "Manhunter" had no tattoo, down played the Red
Dragon theme and didn't do enough with explaining the Tooth Fairy's psyche. "Red Dragon" did fine on those details, but had numerous little flaws that seemed to be rookie mistakes in production (how things like the gun changing from an automatic to revolver in the same scene and allowing the actors to ad-lib too much.) In a perfect world, one would take the best stuff from each movie, put them together, and have a movie that would have put the Academy Award winning "Silence of the Lambs" to shame. But, due to mostly directors that cut many unnecessary corners
(Red Dragon), or have an inferior script off of a terrific book (Manhunter), the possibility of this occurring seems unlikely.
Rating: 
Summary: Enforce the "R" rating
Review: I loved the movie, I have not seen the "Lambs" but now I will! BUT what ever happened to the rating system designed to keep underage people from seeing these movies. I thought the juvenile sense of humor was very distracting and to me ruined a few good scenes! it wasn't a "funny" movie!
Rating: 
Summary: an improved version of Manhunter
Review: For anyone who is familiar with the Hannibal Lector films, you should know that "Manhunter" was the very first. Red Dragon is simply a remake of Manhunter with a better script, better acting, and with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector from the very beginning. If you have seen Manhunter, you should still give Red Dragon a chance. I think you will find that this movie is a much improved prequel compared to the original. Not to include a spoiler, but this film ends with an introduction to "Silence of the Lambs." If you have not seen any of the Hannibal movies, start with Red Dragon. You'll be glad you did!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, and Hannibal's Not Even That Scary
Review: I want to hear the "Ralph Fiennes isn't physically scary enough to be a great villain" people after they watch this movie. I hope Mr. Fiennes pulls an Oscar nomination for this role, because he certainly deserved it. His demonic transformation into the Red Dragon character is something to marvel at. The actors make this movie work. Everyone involved delivered great performances. Edward Norton plays the disturbed and troubled ex-FBI agent Will Graham very well. I wish they had given Philip Seymour Hoffman a little more of a role, as he is a very talented actor and brought a lot to his few scenes. Emily Watson and Harvey Keitel are solid, and Anthony Hopkins is...well, Hopkins is Hannibal. It's such an interesting character he has presented, and it's down right fascinating to watch him assume the mask of the famed ingenious maniac. It's truly one of the most intriguing characters in movie history, and Hopkins has made him even better. The story is fairly formulaic, but there are some good twists and turns. Surprising kudos goes to Brett Ratner, who many were worried about. The mood is right on, dark and depressive, while the camera shots in many of the scenes are tension magnets. Ratner pulled it off very well. One of the best films of the year so far. While it isn't quite as good as The Silence of the Lambs, it is very close, much better than Hannibal. A classic crime thriller involving some of the best actors of this film era.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent acting and story
Review: For the true fan of the Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Lecter this movie will not disappoint. With outstanding acting and performances by some of our finest actors, it is an edge of your seat thriller with guts and glory and gore and hey, Hannibal. Leave the Hannibal of the last movie behind, he isn't her, the Hannibal of Silence is though, and it is a terrific ride. Anthony Hopkins has put on the suit again, so to speak, and he masters it so well. Good to see Ralph Fiennes in a more high profile role since his English Patient days of 1996, and he looks like he hasn't been hiding out too far, still has the good looks even though he's the killer. Emily Watson plays a blind woman to perfection, Edward Norton picks up the FBI agent/Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) role, and Harvey Keitel and Mary Louise Parker round out an already terrific cast. Some twists and surprises will keep you guessing and ending leads you right into Silence which is a wonderful move, especially when all is said and done and we all will be sitting around watching it all on DVD. Good suspense, good story, great acting, ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Until the End.....
Review: When I first saw Michael Mann's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon", I was blown away; I'd never encountered a character as evil and wiley as Hannibal Lector (Played by Brian Cox.)....Years later, I read Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs back to back, and was blown away again. Especially by Red Dragon- The end of the book was SO powerful and dark that upon finishing the book, I sat in stunned silence for the rest of the train ride home. How could they have NOT used that end in Manhunter??? Well, here's more of the same....Red Dragon is perfect in nearly every way, except for the ending, which, while retaining the same setting, opts for a more "Crowd-pleasing" finale...and loses that punched-in-the-gut feeling that the novel gives. The cast is top-notch, as one would expect from actors the caliber of Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman (Especially good as the loathsome Freddie Lounds..), etc. Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, and Anthony Hopkins are all spellbinding in their respective roles as Fed, Serial Killer, and Imprisoned Cannibal, and the actual depiction of the capture of Lector, as well as his infamous dinner party is a real treat. I just couldn't get past that ending, though. Ever since Hannibal came out, I've been looking forward to the promised "Faithful" adaptation of Red Dragon. This isn't it. It's a well-made thriller with a cop-out ending. See the movie, by all means; If you liked the previous Hannibal films, you'll like this. But then do yourself a favor and read the book, to see the TRUE finale to the Will Graham/Tooth Fairy saga.
Rating:
Summary: Very Distrubing - See the hidden side of Hannibal
Review: I saw this movie Friday at the Mall of Georgia at 4:30. I must admit this is a truely distrubing picture, unlike any of the previous pictures. The actors did a great job. You really see a nasty side to Hannibal. I believe that the film makers were worried that people like Hannibal too much. I kinda of wish that I didn't see this movie. I thought it was going to be like the other two movies. So BEWARE! I would have to agree with Hannibal's last statement somewhat. We are somewhat a primative society in a lot of ways, regardless of all the computers and high tech. weapons. Anyways, I would have something fun to do after this movie like a comedy or something else. Hey! a lot of the movie is in Georgia so that is cool.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood remakes Manhunter
Review: The original film translation of Richard Harris' novel RED DRAGON, filmed as MANHUNTER (1986) was a box office failure. However Michael Mann's direction makes it one of the best in the series, despite the absence of Anthony Hopkins. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS brought in Hopkins as Lecter, and with the excellent direction of Jonathan Demme, ensured hirthro unseen B.O records. Then Ridley Scott directed HANNIBAL, Harris' weakest novel, and despite the film's commercial sucess, the film itself proved to be far less sucessful with critics. And this brings us full circle, where predictable Hollywood decided to remake RED DRAGON. I'm a big fan of the films and the books, so initially I was really excited when it was announced that they were doing a remake. But Brett Ratner as director? They can't excatly put on the poster: "From the director of RUSH HOUR 2"! And despite the impressive source novel, I doubt that this will surpass the original. But this is all mere speculation. We'll just have to wait and see if the docter's third helping will stand up to the lofty heights of SILENCE...
Rating:
Summary: A good movie
Review: The interaction between the characters was dynamic. Ralph Fiennes plays a memorabile role that will leave your skin crawing and double checking all your locks at home before you sleep at night. Edward Norton draws the viewer right into the movie with a good performance. This is a movie to see. Although this movie is very good, it just doesn't out do Silence of the Lambs.
Rating:
Summary: Great acting in 'Red Dragon'...but 'Manhunter' is better.
Review: Although 'Red Dragon' introduces some interesting twists to the storyline originally presented in 1986's 'Manhunter', this screenplay assumes ignorance in its audience's ability to sleuth out artistic, intellectual and intended gaps in the storyline. Where 'Manhunter' allows the audience to deduct details of the plot and background history, 'Red Dragon' doesn't foreshadow...on the contrary, it spoon-feeds way too much. It was relatively easy to deduct future events in this adaptation. It's too bad because Hopkins is the definitive Dr. Lector and all the other actors did credible jobs. Even the score in this movie seemed contrived at times trying too hard to help the mood of a particular scene. Instead it came off as overkill. Although I like this movie, I still think 'Manhunter' was more stylishly done, keeping it's story better paced, coyly whetting the audience's palette without giving away too much. Lesson here when given a big budget...less is still better! However, I still recommend this movie to see for most viewers...
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