Movie Review: Red Dragon

Red Dragon

Red Dragon is the third installment in the series of movies featuring Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector, but it is the first of the three in chronology. The first movie, of course, was the Oscar® winning Silence of the Lambs. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins both picked up Oscars® for their portrayals of FBI agent Clarice Starling and the serial killer with a taste for fava beans, Hannibal Lector. The second movie, which took place after the events in Silence of the Lambs, was entitled Hannibal. Hopkins reprised his role; Foster was replaced by Julianne Moore (Foster was pregnant at the time). Hannibal was a grave disappointment for me. It was less a story than it was a "can you top this" series of "gross out" events. Between you and me, I adore Anthony Hopkins and would probably pay to see him read the yellow pages, but Hannibal stretched my patience. That's why I bought my ticket to Red Dragon with more than a little trepidation. Fortunately for me - and for movie lovers everywhere - Hannibal is back with a vengeance and with a really good script to sink his teeth into.

In Red Dragon, we finally learn just how it was that Hannibal Lector's crimes finally caught up with him, and we're introduced to the FBI agent who cracked the case, Will Graham (played by Edward Norton, who looks and acts a little too boyish for the role in my mind). Needless to say, such a case sent Graham into another less stressful career. After several years have gone by, Graham's boss (Jack Crawford, played by Harvey Keitel) tracks him down and begs for his help with the case of another bizarre serial killer, a man the tabloids are calling "The Tooth Fairy". Graham is forced to visit Lector in his captivity to ask for some insight into the killer. As is to be expected, Lector will only help for a price. Meanwhile, the killer plans his next move. And since he seems to kill on a schedule of sorts, the authorities are on a tight deadline to find him before he adds more innocent victims to his tally.

Anthony Hopkins is superb as a man who is brilliant, has exquisite taste in everything from decor to literature, but also possesses an unbridled streak of unmitigated violence. Ralph Fiennes gives Hopkins a run for his money, both as an actor and as a bad guy, in his role as Francis Dolarhyde, a man with some smarts of his own and a compulsion to make people watch him "becoming". Emily Watson is quirky but sweet as Dolarhyde's love interest; Mary Louise Parker is only adequate as Graham's worried wife, Molly.

As a whole, I found Red Dragon to be gripping. The story is complex enough to keep you guessing, but straightforward enough to make you afraid. The sets are realistically done, and the editing was good enough that I didn't notice it (that means there were none of my favorite departures from the norm, either, but unnoticable editing is actually about as good as it gets if there aren't any experimental fillips to play with). Although I don't think I'd invite either Lector or Dolarhyde to dinner, it was a riveting two hours in the theatre with them for company.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you're into cool websites and you have Flash, the Red Dragon site is one of the coolest I've ever seen.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Red Dragon is rated R. It is frightening, intense, grisly at times, and has moments of horrific violence. Although this time around none of the gore is gratuitous, it's still far too much for kids. This one is for adults 18 and up only, and not for them, either, if they're particularly sensitive. For everyone else, though, get to the theatre and see this movie. It's not Silence of the Lambs, but it's surprisingly close.