Rating- * * * * * (5/5)
In the modern blockbuster market, there are two things that are sure earners at the box office: thrillers and sequels. This film fits into both categories but it defies their shortcomings as well. It scares us, but not with cheap gags. It draws on its preceding films, but doesn’t rehash any old material or use them as a crutch. This film is a perfect example of what a modern psychological thriller should be. In case you don’t get cable in that rock you’re living under, Red Dragon is the third film in a series that began with Jonathan Demme’s horror masterpiece The Silence of the Lambs and the less than stellar but still entertaining Hannibal. The films, based on novels by Thomas Harris, hinge largely the character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychologist who also happens to be a serial killer and a cannibal. It is impossible for me to describe to you the mannerisms and nuances that Anthony Hopkins brings to this role but anyone who has seen any of these films can tell you that Dr. Lecter is, without a doubt, one of the most evil, creepy and strangely intriguing characters in the history of film. No other character can be so disgusting and dangerous and yet capture our attention so skillfully than “Hannibal the Cannibal.” Red Dragon is based on the first book in Harris’ series, which takes place just before the events of Silence and actually opens with a brief glimpse of Hannibal before he was captured. We don’t see much, but you can sense the untamed beast hiding behind that refined, wry smile. His dual nature is perfectly exemplified in the opening when he is disturbed by an off-tune flutist at the symphony…so he feeds him to some party guests. Brutal, yes, but if this sort of sick irony turns you off, you’re at the wrong movie, my friend. From here the story moves to a different arc, one that certainly involves Lecter but to a lesser degree than the other films. The FBI agent who caught Lecter (played by the always brilliant Edward Norton) is called upon by his former supervisor (Harvey Keitel) to come out of retirement and help in tracking down a new serial killer who has struck in Atlanta and in my very own hometown of Birmingham! Norton, weary of rejoining the career that almost killed him, hesitantly accepts and begins to put his brilliant investigative skills to work. As he gathers clues and begins to profile a suspect, the murderer (Fiennes) is falling into a fantasy in which he becomes a mythical beast with each victim he kills. But his lethal escapades are slowed when he meets a blind woman (Emily Watson) who gets a crush on him. She can identify with his inability to relate to people and so the Dragon’s killing urges are warded off by the shreds of humanity left within him that begin to break through. The plot takes some fantastic twists and turns but none of them ever appear implausible and the acting is top rate. Of course what else would you expect from such a top notch cast. From the quiet and thoughtful Norton to the wonderfully sleazy Phillip Seymour Hoffman to the always brilliant Anthony Hopkins, the cast of this film includes the best names in the industry and when you pair that with a fantastically thrilling screenplay and a stylish young director to top it all off, you get one of the best psychological thrillers in recent history. For sheer shock, entertainment and a good dose of intelligence, Red Dragon gets my highest recommendation.