Manhunter (1986)

This is the lesser known Hannibal Lector film(to Silence of the lambs) but some consider it as good or even better than that film. I happen to feel that both have their plus points and this Michael Mann film has many strong points including an amazing soundtrack and great performance by William Peterson as Det. Will Graham. Brian Cox is chilling in his own way as Lector and his interactions with Peterson just show the kind of magnitude two capable and talented actors can bring to a scene. This is a must watch film.

I saw Red Dragon when it first came out and loved it. I never even heard of Manhunter until I was about 27 (I'm 34 now). In 2012, Manhunter came on one the Encore networks and I set my DVR to record it. I was sceptical at first, but after watching it, I was hooked. No Anthony Hopkins? So what? Brian Cox's Hannibal I found a bit boring in fact. Sir Anthony might be the true Hannibal, but Edward Norton could've learned a thing or two from William Petersen. Dennis Farina (RIP) became my favorite Jack Crawford and Stephen Lang is way more hip than Philip Seymour Hoffman. As far as the killer is concerned, well.....Tom Noonan I liked better I guess. Although Ralph Fiennes did scare me more in Red Dragon. Both are great movies no doubt, but Red Dragon would've been garbage without Hopkins. One final note before I post this review, Manhunter has a much better soundtrack.

"Manhunter" is an American crime thriller from 1986, so this one had its 30th anniversary last year. The director is Oscar nominee Michael Mann and he is also the one who adapted Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon" for the screen here. And if you hear that title, you maybe already realize that this film takes place in the universe of Hannibal Lecter. Actually, it is the very first film about this subject, even if not too many remember it today anymore. This certainly also has to do with all the awards and critics recognition for "Silence of the Lambs" that came out 5 years later roughly. But this one here also features a solid cast like William Petersen as the lead actor who is very much known for CSI today or Joan Allen, who has several Oscar nominations or Stephen Lang from "Avatar" or the late Dennis Farina and Americans will perhaps recognize some other names too. This is a relatively long movie at slightly under two hours and this is also one of the main problems here because I felt that it dragged quite a bit, especially in the second half. The film frequently looks like a typical one-man bad-ass routine movie from the 1980s filled with macho moments and stuff like that. But Petersen may not have been the right choice for that. He certainly is no Charles Bronson and his screaming into the open as if his enemy was there also felt a little pathetic at times.Story-wise, the film also did not do too much I guess. The Lecter moments with the criminal mastermind in his cell were probably still among the better, but the general crime story did not work out too well I must say. This is a bit disappointing as the main antagonist had solid moments when he was getting screen time. But he does not get far from enough. Instead it is all about Petersen's character, but he is no Jodie Foster either. I am a bit surprised to see the strong reviews, rating and reception for this one here as I found it utterly bland and uninspired for the most part. The final shooting wasn't bad, but it's certainly not worth sitting through 90 minutes of mediocrity (at best) for that. Maybe it is worth checking out for the very biggest fans of everything Lecter-related, but everybody else can very much skip it. Mann is a filmmaker where I have not seen too much yet, but want to, but I must admit this film here did not get me curious about his body of work at all. It was also a letdown from the atmospheric side. Watch something else instead.

Although THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is the film that everyone remembers for Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lector, I find that in most cases the general public don't realise that Hopkins was not the first actor to play Lector. No, that dubious honour goes to Brian Cox, whose brief but powerful turn as Lector in MANHUNTER is just one of the film's many highlights. I didn't really know what to expect when I watched this film; I'd heard that it was good, but little did I realise just HOW good it was. MANHUNTER is one of the very best films about a serial killer I've seen; this is an intelligent, exciting and thought-provoking story which I actually preferred to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in some respects.This is a disturbing film too, although without the grossness of the film that followed it. Here, the violence is left to the imagination, which makes it all the more effective. Usually the police investigations in these films are dry and boring, but here, as the characters doing the investigating are very human, it becomes interesting and watchable. The cast is first rate; especially good is Peterson as the slightly disturbed FBI man haunted by his previous encounters with Cox. He is equalled by the underrated Tom Noonan, who is simply brilliant as the killer, Francis Dollarhyde. Noonan would forever be typecast as a baddie after this performance, but his work here is excellent as he creates a childish, sympathetic man who cannot control the urges or what he does.The strong supporting cast includes Joan Allen (very good) as a blind victim; Dennis Farina as a fellow cop (wait, doesn't he always play that role?), and Stephen Lang as a nerdy reporter who meets a fate worse than death. Michael Mann's assured direction keeps the film believable and interesting at all times; MANHUNTER is exciting when it needs to be and very disturbing at other times (especially that scene with Dollarhyde with the stocking over his head... an image guaranteed to give you nightmares). Odd scenes like the burning wheelchair victim are unexpected and help to keep you on your toes. A rare film that doesn't underestimate the intelligence of the audience, MANHUNTER is a perfectly-made film that should be rewatched in the days of populist stuff like SEVEN and THE BONE COLLECTOR just to remember how good it is.