|  A
psychopath is on the loose, killing a family
each full moon and the police and FBI are
seemingly helpless. Enter Will Graham, the
original agent who captured Doctor Hannibal
Lecktor*, to both look into the case itself,
and then eventually engage his wits against
the Dr again, in order to find the culprit
they've dubbed "The Tooth Fairy".
Silence of the Lambs follows the same plotline,
though with a somewhat less experienced
agent in the hotseat against the mind and
wiles of Hannibal.
It
is thought in some quarters that Brian Cox's
interpretation of Hannibal is superior to
the more famous rendition as played by Anthony
Hopkins. This is a matter of debate of course,
and there are no right or wrong answers,
though it would be fair to say that Hopkins
might spring to mind a lot more readily
than the Cox version. No matter what the
outcome of that particular debate is, there
is no doubt that Manhunter is a leader in
the sophisticated thriller genre, and will
remain so for many years more. |
|  On
the one hand, I think that Manhunter certainly
manages to stand on its own even 15 years
after release, and it broke boundaries in
the intelligent and sophisticated thriller
genre. However, on the other, Red Dragon
quite nicely completes the cycle of Anthony
Hopkins in the role of Lecter.
The
movie Red Dragon, which
was released October 2002, revisits the
original book, in an adaptation that has
been hailed and derided in equal measure,
by both fans of the original take and even
the actors themselves. Cox, the original
Lecter, said that the movie was both a smart
move for a highly bankable franchise, but
also stated that "a remake will always
be a remake" . And in
an interesting aside, William Peterson carries
on his work as a man responsible for hunting
down killers [though not all of them are
as colourful as Lecter] in the top-rated
TV serial "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation",
with William Peterson being a regular as
the head of the Dept. on which the serial
focuses. Tom Noonan, the original Dolarhyde,
also makes a few appearances.
|
