Manhunter (1986)

[little ghost]

Manhunter (1986)

imdb.com rating: 7.2/10

my personal rating: 8/10

I just watched Manhunter for the first time this past week. I thought it was actually better than Red Dragon. I had the feeling when Red Dragon first came out it tried too hard to copy The Silence of the Lambs feel, and sure enough I was right. In Manhunter Hannibal Lecter is held in a white box-cell in white clothes. In contrast in The Silence of The Lambs/Red Dragon Lecter is held in a dungeon cell so it is a differen look.

I thought Manhunter had the creepier victim scenes and more suspense. For me Will Graham and Francis Dollarhyde were more interesting characters in Manhunter. I never got a dark, creepy, or disturbing vibe from Red Dragon's Dollarhyde either. I believe technically Red Dragon is a good movie in its own right, it did have its moments including the capture of Lecter which I have always wanted to see. But I also feel it falls a bit short to the original. I also liked the ending better in the older version. Mann embraces the psychological and emotional sphere much better than Ratner ever could, who was in over his head IMO.

[koolmike]

Better film in every way from casting/writing/directing/ to editing and performance.

[Necromancer]

Its been ages since I read Red Dragon, but I do recall I had issues with this film because I believe it strayed from the book.......not quite sure I'd have to reread the novel.....Thomas Harris is one of my favorite authors who had given me two great novels one being the suspense thriller Black Sunday the other of course was Red Dragon and with that our introduction to Hannibal Lecter. A lot of time has passed and I enjoy both films based on the novel equally