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RED DRAGON Send This Review to a Friend
Considering that "Red Dragon" is a prequel to the Hannibal Lecter chew-'em-ups and a version of Thomas Harris's novel that already yielded Michael Mann's "Manhunter," this is a cleverly executed thriller. It's fun-filled entertainment for audiences that, shall we say, eat up this sort of fare, and it wasn't made for the squeamish.
The very opening gets quickly to macabre comedy. Good old Anthony Hopkins as Lecter is shown at a concert making eyes at a musician. Cut to Lechter hosting a lavish dinner for symphony board members and one guest mildly laments a musician's disappearance. Cut to a close-up of the food. It neatly sets tone--comic relief to go with the terror.
Edward Norton, in yet another fine performance, is F.B.I. agent Will Graham, who barely survives a confrontation with Lecter, subsequently safely behind bars. The shaken Graham has retired to spend time with his wife Molly (Mary-Louise Parker) and child. But a new brutal maniac dubbed the "tooth fairy" is on the loose. Harvey Keitel as F.B.I. honcho Crawford visits Graham and pleads for help, just some quick application of his sleuthing expertise. Molly is opposed, but off he goes. Eventually Graham agrees to solicit help from Lecter in hope that Haninbal the Cannibal will have insights that will provide clues to catching the tooth fairy before he kills and bites again. Lecter has his price.
We learn early on that the villain is a loony named Francis Dolarhyde, played with scary solemnity by Ralph Fiennes, a psychologically twisted man covered in tattoos, abused in childhood and self-conscious about his harelip. There must, of course, be a woman in danger and superb actress Emily Watson as the blind and vulnerable Reba adds a note of sunshine and humanity to the cliché. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays an obnoxious scandal sheet journalist who should remember that curiosity killed the cat.
True, much is predictable, but the cast is so good and Hopkins seems to be having a wonderful time playing Hannibal again. Ted Tally's script hits the right blend, as does director Brett Ratner. The film is slick in building to the inevitable climactic confrontation and topper before amusingly setting the stage for what came to be "The Silence of the Lambs." Lecter fans are unlikely to be disappointed and "Red Dragon" will probably make oodles of money. A Universal Pictures release.
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