Red Dragon (2002)

Dreadfully Boring

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This 2002 film is the prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs", and a re-boot of "Manhunter". Leading FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) has a gift for psychoanalysis and criminology, allowing him to see things from the criminal's point of view; he's been working with Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to stop the 'Chesapeake Ripper". The film opens with a scene showing how Graham manages to crack the case and subsequently arrest Lecter for the crimes (subsequently starting the setup for "TSOTL"). Due to injuries sustained Graham retires, but is soon brought back into role when agent Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) asks for help with "The Toothfairy" (Ralph Fiennes), a killer who strikes on the full moon and has an issue with mirrors. With 3 weeks till the next full moon Graham works with Crawford to try and put a stop to the killing spree, using any means possible - from feeding the press (Philip Seymour Hoffman) false information, to interviewing the man who nearly ended Graham's life, Dr Lecter. Meanwhile the "Red Dragon" is rising.This is a great re-boot of "Manhunt", which was a decent film it lacked some style and class, stopping me from engaging and suspending disbelief with it properly. This film actually sticks more to the book than "Manhunt" did, only deviating by adding more Lecter/Graham interviews. Red Dragon, for me, is actually better than "Hannibal", the sequel to "TSOTL" because it is fast paced and has a lot of thrills and tension - which is more in line with what "TSOTL" built. The acting in this is good, I was dubious about Norton and Keitel when I read the pre-release information, but I think they did well with their performances. The book seemed to indicate that the Graham character would be grittier than what Norton gave, but it still worked well for the film, a darker performance may have made the film less accessible. My concerns with Keitel were just that Scott Glenn played what I expected from Jack Crawford in "TSOTL", stiffer and less connectable - Keitel softens Crawford a little but not enough to make me feel it was a poor performance. Fiennes as the villain worked particularly well - he played intense and creepy really well, he actually surprised me with this role. All in all I was surprised and delighted with this. I didn't expect the director of "Rush Hour" and "Rush Hour 2" (Brett Ratner) to bring to screen something so tense and gripping. This is a great post-prequel to "TSOTL", better than "Hannibal" and "Manhunter", and even in its own right, if you haven't seen the other films - it still stands up as a great film. 8 out of 10.

One of the all time classics. A brilliant edge of your seat thriller. Cannot fault it really. To date we have watched it 7 times and we will certainly be watching it again in the future. A must for every bodies movie collection.

This movie is basically a remake of "Manhunter" from 1986 and many of the lines are exactly the same, but at least this remake is not so sleepy, although it has some parts.It is also a prequel to "Silence of the lambs", but the story is basically the same: just a few characters switched and minor alterations to the script.Although it has good actors, none of them can deliver impact, not even Anthony Hopkins; it just seems like they're all taking a stroll along the movie...Compared to SOTL, this movie creates no tension, no threatening sensation on the viewer. As a remake, is a little better, but just a little. As per se it could and should have been better. Even "Hannibal" is better, an that is a bad movie too. Oh, how I love the "Silence".

Red Dragon (2002)*** (out of 4) William Graham (Edward Norton) is a retired FBI profiler who goes back on the job to try and track a serial killer known as The Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes). In order to get the killer he decides to work with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) who he has a history with.This was the third film in the "new" Lector series that started with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and continued with HANNIBAL. What most people didn't realize at the time of the release is that RED DRAGON was actually a remake of the 1986 Michael Mann film MANHUNTER. Whenever there's a remake it's almost impossible not to compare the two films but for the most part they are both very good movies but I'd give the slight edge to this one.For starters, the film offers up a terrific cast with Hopkins once again sinking his teeth into the role of Lecter. He is once again great in the role and manages to bring that certain smartness and creepiness to the part. Fiennes is wonderful in the role of the serial killer and Emily Watson is also very good as the woman he falls for. Both Harvey Keitel and Philip Seymour Hoffman are extremely good in their supporting roles as well. Norton is one of my favorite actors of his generation and while he's very good here I really didn't like him too much in the part.On a technical level the film isn't nearly as visually great as MANHUNTER even though they do share the same cinematographer. The film also manages to have a better music score and I'd argue that for the most part it's the better of the two films. I really loved the opening sequence as well as the ending, which packs a nice little punch. The film contains more graphic violence, which adds a sadistic touch to the material.RED DRAGON has some flaws but it's still a highly entertaining and well-made thriller.