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(2001)
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(2001) |
Disgraced after a failed drug raid, FBI Agent Clarice Starling is put back on the trail of Dr. Hannibal ("The Cannibal") Lecter, who has been laying low in Florence, Italy, since his escape ten years before. With the attention back on him, Lecter again turns his attention to Starling--and the game begins.
Also known as: The Silence of the Lambs 2 (working title)
Subgenres: psychological, gore
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: David Mamet, Steven Zailian, Thomas Harris (book
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore
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A sequel to The Silence of the Lambs was a potentially bad idea. Not only had Silence had swept the major awards at the Oscars, but it was a remarkably smart, engrossing movie that proved to members of the great unwashed that action films could be, well, good. Very good. It was a tale of a war of intellect between a delicate, cultured monster and a competent but wounded soul, a concept that was challenging at the least. Drenched in atmosphere and powered by the amazing performances of its two stars--both of whom have never given a bad performance, but neither of whom have ever shone quite as brightly--Silence of the Lambs was fiercely intelligent, quietly sinister, and strangely soulful. That balance--the interaction between Starling and Lecter--isn't the point of Hannibal. This movie is aptly named, for it is about Anthony Hopkins's intriguingly civilized maniac and not, really, about his relationship with the only person who had ever gotten inside his head. There are glimpses of that connection, especially near the end of the film, but they seem to symbolize more of what the movie could have been rather than what it was. I, at least, have no interest in seeing Lecter toy with a police officer while Starling does research on him an ocean away. Hannibal struck a completely different tone than its predecessor, but it refuses to be its own entity, constantly referring to the story that preceded it. That only makes sense, of course. But without the chemistry between Lecter and Starling, Hannibal comes off like a police procedural crossed with a spy thriller. The first two thirds of the film, while interesting, aren't particularly involving. I try not to overly anticipate while watching films, but I couldn't wait for Starling and Lecter to at least make some kind of contact. When they really do--in the moderately gruesome last part of the film--it's as macabre as anything in Silence, with a more humorous twist, but it's just making up for the first portion of the film. If the weakness of Hannibal lies in the intention of its script, its strength is its actors. Anthony Hopkins gives another textured performance as Lecter, even if the script allows him not as much chance as I'd like to cut loose in Hannibal's very restrained fashion. Julianne Moore was brave to take this role, and she's fine, but Clarice just isn't written as interestingly as she was the first time around. Ray Liotta is capable in the bureaucratic-prick role, and Gary Oldman strikes a strange but appropriate chord as a born-again Christian who hasn't quite shaken his former depraved ways. Hannibal is well worth viewing--it bears some strange, tasty fruit--but didn't come close to getting in my head. And, I'll admit, after Silence, I wanted it to. (Aug 28, 2001) | ||||||
Based on Thomas Harris's book of the same name.
Follows The Silence of the Lambs. A sequel to Hannibal is, as of August 2001, being considered.
The character of Hannibal Lecter was played by Brian Cox in Manhunter, where the character was called Hannibal Lecktor. Manhunter was based on Thomas Harris's book Red Dragon. Red Dragon may be made into a movie a second time by director Brett Ratner, with Anthony Hopkins considering playing Lecter again.
