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Manhunter [VHS] [1989] starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina

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Rating: - The FIRST Hannibal Lecter

Almost Hitchcockian in is sterile horror - refrains from showing you the gore, rather lefts you imagination fill in the gaps. Stylisht Michael Mann (Miami Vice director and a perfection in the Hitchcock school of doing some of the camera work yourself) shows the visions from the same source material can be so different. Manhunter is from the Thomas Harris Book 'Red Dragon' the prequel, if you will, to the Silence of the Lambs, also by Harris. It is so interesting to view both films together and see the contrasts. Manhunter has a male, William Petersen, as FBI's fey tracker, while Lamb's focus is female through Jody Foster. Lambs is so dark, brooding and dank, you think of bad 1950's mad scientist movies, while Manhunter is blinding awash in light. Compare the cells of the different version of Lector. Hopkins is house in a madhouse basement, where shadows are deep and bogeymen lurk just out of sight...Brian Cox's lector is in a pure white cell, white pants and TV shirt, so clean and sterile it evokes the slightly nauseating sense of antiseptic hospitals. Hopkins' keeper is the kindly blackman, Benny; Cox's 'step back or I'll mace you in the face' redneck. The polarisation of these films is nearly endless, and yet both are so on target in achieving their aim.

Which do I prefer? Hard to say, but I think in repeated watching that Manhunter edges out Lambs. Mann 'paints' his movie in imagery that is so evocative, so compelling, but in a less is more manner that cause many to put him down as all style but no substance. I have never bought that. Anyone can watch "Evan" episode of Miami Vice or "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" and see there are so many layers to a Mann production - but it is for YOU to find the many textures and nuances. If you don't, it's your loss.

Manhunter just get better and better with age, and is a sheer treat on DVD.

Rating: - GRIM AND GRIPPING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER...

Based upon the wonderful, well written novel "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris, this is a superior and chilling thriller. Grim and gripping, it features William Peterson in the role of taciturn, retired FBI agent, Will Graham, who is called back to service in order to track down a bizarre serial killer. It appears that Graham has the uncanny ability to get into a killer's mind set and figure out what his next move might be. It is as if he and the killer become one. In his preparation for this, Graham even consults the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter (yes, THE Hannibal Lecter), deliciously played by Brian Cox.

The movie is compelling and, at all times, gripping. Joan Allen affectingly plays a blind woman who unknowingly involves herself with the creepy serial killer who is chillingly played by Tom Noonan. It is her involvement with him that helps bring the film to its stunning conclusion. Good performances by Dennis Farina, Stephen Lang, and Kim Greist round out this fine, ensemble cast.

This film is a taut, unnerving psychological thriller that is deftly directed by Michael Mann and accompanied by a terrific, musical score used to great effect. Who ever would have thought that Iron Butterfly's heavy metal "In A Gadda Da Vita" could be used to such chilling effect in the final, climactic scene? This is a film well worth watching.

Rating: - Why do so many people like this?

When I first viewed this film, I thought it was one of the worst DVDs that I had ever made the mistake of buying. In retrospect, this was probably just because of the sub-conscious comparisons that I was making to the novel that it is based on, 'Red Dragon'. The title of this film indicates it's pivotal flaw, it focusses too much on Graham and not enough on Dolarhyde. This is a story that should be about persecution and abuse that transforms into the becoming of the 'Red Dragon', with attention to the killer's psyche and Graham's own gift/curse of perception. Lector was played like a 'carry-on' doctor, with the only redeming features being the photography, lighting and occasional glimpses of real acting from Peterson.

Rating: - A highly intelligent and gripping thriller

Those viewers accustomed to the usual serial killer film with its overabundant use of gore and utterly predictable storyline will find in Manhunter a rare gem. The film steadily and unrelentingly builds up tension with its exceptional acting, hauntingly sombre music and atmospheric photography. I would argue that it stands superior to its sequel 'The Silence of the Lambs' because of a more complex and sensitive psychological portrayal of both the killer and the pursuer.
Tom Noonan plays a killer who, gripped in a personal struggle for acceptance, displays great sensuality and gentleness with a capacity for extreme violence which is all the more potent because it is latent and often concealed from the viewer. William Peterson plays FBI criminal investigator Will Graham, a man whose gift for unveiling the workings of the criminal mind results in perturbations to his own mental balance. In contrast to the personal struggles of the two central characters, Brian Cox's Hannibal Lector is an unnervingly self-assured presence who can influence the actions of the other characters even from inside a prison cell.
Without a doubt I recommend this film, and the DVD version includes some insightful extras. Overall: an engrossing, complex and visually striking movie.

Rating: - An exceptionally-acted and atmospheric thriller

Having read "Red Dragon" I naturally wanted to see the film, and thankfully I was not disappointed, even though the plot has been changed slightly in places. I already had high hopes for the film, as I had read that Tom Noonan was playing the part of the serial killer, Francis Dollarhyde. Noonan is a superb actor in my opinion, although he is better known for writing plays. One only has to see his remarkable performance as a repulsive child killer in an episode of "the X Files", or as a disabled computer hacker in the film "Heat", to see that he is utterly convincing in every role he takes on. I was therefore interested in how he was going to take on such a difficult role as Dollarhyde.
Admittedly Dollarhyde's "struggle" has been toned down a little from the book, but he is essentially the same, and Noonan still manages to effectively gain the viewer's sympathy for the character, most notably in the moving scene where Dollarhyde places Reba's hand over his wound and cries.
This is not to ignore William Petersen's magnetic performance as troubled FBI agent Will Graham. His moody expression displays just how haunted Graham is by his "gift" (being able to penetrate the minds of demented killers). One might wonder why Graham would put himself through such trauma again, but all doubts are shoved aside during the scene with his wife at the water's edge, where Graham says, in a hard-edged voice much louder than his usual tone: "This killing...it's got to stop." This tells us that Graham, no matter how much he hates it, knows he is the only hope for the serial killer's next target. It is a wonderful moment in the film, and confirms my opinion that Petersen is certainly one of the most underrated actors.
Of course, the main selling-point for the film now is the fact that it is the first film to feature Hannibal Lecter (or "Lecktor" as it is spelt here). Brian Cox puts in a magnificent performance, much more understated than Anthony Hopkins' portrayel. The stand-out point is when Lecktor and Graham's conversation starts getting quicker, and slightly more good-natured, until suddenly Lecktor springs the trap: "Would you like to leave me your home phone number?" Although we know that Graham would never be so foolish, it is a heart-stopping moment, and you almost can't help screaming "No! Don't give him your number!".
The film is wedged deeply in the 80's, with a wonderful syntho soundtrack provided by "the Reds", and it could almost stand as an example of 80's fashion, with black-on-black suits etc.
I can't leave without complimenting on Michael Mann's brilliant direction, which always reminds me why he is my favourite director.
All in all, a brilliant thriller, which sucks you in with its outstanding performances and unique style.
The special documentary on the video is also good, with some interesting anecdotes from the stars, notably how Tom Noonan wasn't allowed to have contact with any of his co-stars except when they shared scenes together, to increase the mystery of the character. Also very telling is Petersen's account of how he had to dye his hair blond for a play he was doing after shooting the film, just so he could get the character of Will Graham out of his head.

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