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Red Dragon [2002]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

A lot could've gone wrong in Red Dragon, but the movie exceeds expectations. Replacing the acclaimed Manhunter as an "official" entry in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, this topnotch thriller--the second adaptation of Thomas Harris's first Lecter novel--returns to the fertile soil of The Silence of the Lambs, serving as both prequel and heir to the legacy of Lecter as portrayed, with mischievous menace, by the great Anthony Hopkins. Familiar faces and locations reappear (along with Lambs screenwriter Ted Tally) as Lecter coaches FBI profiler Will Graham (Edward Norton) in tracking the horrific "Tooth Fairy" killer (Ralph Fiennes), whose transformative killing spree is inspired by a William Blake painting. By dutifully serving Harris's potent material, Tally and director Brett Ratner craft a suspenseful film worthy of its predecessors, bringing Hopkins full circle as one of the cinema's all-time greatest villains. With overtones of Psycho and a superb supporting cast, Red Dragon succeeds against considerable odds. --Jeff Shannon


Worth seeing but nothing to rave about
Review date: 2008-06-19 Rating: 6 out of 10

This is an entertaining enough effort, but cashes in too strongly on The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins is good as usual, and Edward Norton is particularly good, but the rest feels a little contrived. Not enough of this gels, and it doesn't have the same unsettling vibe as "Manhunter."

Still worth seeing for some good bits, though.

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Reviews


boring
Review date: 2008-06-07 Rating: 4 out of 10

bland and dull this boring and pointless film sees antony hopkins return to his signature role.

Don't waste your time and money on this, watch Manhunter
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 4 out of 10

I agree with some other reviews after having owned Manhunter for sometime now I can't help but compare these 2 films.

As a film on it's own it's okay I guess, but it really does grind on me the amount of times that the dialogue from Manhunter is repeated word for word in parts, so annoying!!

None of the cast is on form here, I respect the work of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Harvey Keitel alot, but even they are unconvincing in their roles, to be fare to Hoffman he's barely in the film which is a real shame as he can act unlike Edward Norton who's atrocious and Ralph Fiennes who puts in yet another dire performance.

The "music" in this film often tries to add tension to the film where none exists, give me Manhunter, Silence of the lambs or Hannibal any day of the week and twice on Sunday over this poor excuse of a film, if you do watch this make sure that you have not already watched Manhunter as you'll only be disappointed. 2 stars as a stand alone film, 1 when compared to Manhunter.

fantastic thriller
Review date: 2008-03-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

I loved Red Dragon, I thought it was mentally and emotionally engaging, with the plot and its various twists keeping you on your toes. As with any thriller it kept the suspense, tension and anticipation high throughout the film so be prepared for a bumpy ride.
Edward Norton is fantastic as the cop hunting down the killer and Feinnes is scarily-convincing as the schitzophrenic psychopath. Of course, Hopkins is his usual brilliant self and is chilling as Hannibal Lecter.
For anyone whol likes a film that keeps them on the edge of their seat, this is the film for you.

Red Dragon - money in the bank
Review date: 2008-01-21 Rating: 4 out of 10

So was Dino de Laurentis short of cash? Doubtful. Was he trying to recoup money lost on the box office failure of Manhunter, Michael Mann's superior version from 1986? Possibly. Did he feel that Mann's version lacked artistic integrity and wanted to improve on it? Very doubtful but if he did, he was utterley misguided. Or did he simply want to line up all the Leckter based films in order to complete the set with Anthony Hopkins? I doubt that too.

More likely he just wanted to make more money from those who would pay to see yet another inferior remake. Yes, that must be it. Many who saw Manhunter fail to recognise it as an exceptionally well crafted piece of film-making and comparisons to it are inevitable. Certainly Red Dragon is an acceptable piece of entertainment when viewed as a stand-alone piece, but in comparison to Manhunter it is considerably inferior. Mann has a strong visual style which uses composition and colour to great effect and the use of music is considered without becoming overwhelming. The director here, Brett Ratner, offers nothing special in the way of style, attempting to emulate the feel of Silence of the Lambs and frequently the music gets in the way of any intended suspense. It is interesting to note, however, that the same cinematographer, Dante Spinotti, worked on both films.

Anthony Hopkins is beginning to look tired in his role as Leckter although the depth that he gave the role in Silence of the Lambs made for a truly frightening character. I always preferred Brain Cox (although his was hardly a starring role), but he had the power to chill, something which Hopkins' Leckter does not. Edward Norton is here badly miscast and while he is a fine actor who is always watchable, here he looks too young and fresh to make the Will Graham character convincing as someone who is able to 'get inside the head' of the killer, something that in the story he has done to the point of being seriously psychologically affected by it. Norton coasts easily through the role, as does Harvey Keitel and while Ralph Fiennes offers up an acceptable killer with a deranged psyche, he pales agains Tom Noonan's Dollarhyde from the earlier film. Noonan was terrifying as the killer yet he evoked sympathy, a synthesis which serves to disturb the viewer far more than any graphic murders which thankfully we were spared. This was especially evident in the bedroom scene following Reba's seduction. The scene with the tiger, incredibly poignant in Manhunter, simply falls flat here, as does the moment of revelation when Graham finally places the last piece with the film canister labels. This sense of flatness pervades the whole film.

Red Dragon does however, include fragments of Dollarhyde's past. This was fairly extensive in the book and non existant in Mann's film (again, Noonan's performance made it unnecessary), but here it simply provides a convenient way for Graham to extricate himself from the situation which precedes the final showdown, itself made predictable at a point much earlier in the film. And of course, in the way of Fatal Attraction we have the now well overused false ending but don't worry, I haven't spoilt anything, you'll be expecting it.

The story itself is generally much the same as in the earlier film but lacks everything which made that film special. If you've not seen Manhunter, Red Dragon is standard serial killer fare: see it then watch the original. If you have seen the earlier version, don't bother.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Anthony Hopkins
Emily Watson
Edward Norton
Harvey Keitel
Ralph Fiennes

Creators:
Anthony Hopkins (Primary Contributor)
Edward Norton (Primary Contributor)
Andrew Z. Davis (Producer)
Dino De Laurentiis (Producer)
James M. Freitag (Producer)
Martha De Laurentiis (Producer)
Terry Needham (Producer)
Ted Tally (Writer)
Thomas Harris (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582197167
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL,
Release date: 2004-02-12
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 121 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-10-04
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Dubbed)

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