Steven Zaillian

[7] Hannibal Lecter is still on the lam (no pun intended) after the events in The Silence of the Lambs, but now there’s another killer who wants to bring him to justice. Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) directs this time, taking the subject matter into far more operatic territory. Where The Silence of the Lambs showed restraint with violence and gore, Hannibal does not. The …

[6] Ridley Scott directs from a script by Steven Zaillian this true story about a New York detective (Russell Crowe) and a drug lord (Denzel Washington) whose paths cross in the 1970s to expose deep-rooted corruption in the police force. The film balances the screen time between Washington and Crowe’s characters, so we get both the plight of the humble man and the rise & fall …

[6] Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara star in the second adaptation of the Stieg Larsson novel about a journalist and a computer hacker who work to solve the mystery of a missing woman. Is there perhaps something wrong with the fact that The Social Network is more exciting than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? People looking at computer monitors and holding board meetings shouldn’t be …

[7] In this film based on a true story, Brad Pitt stars as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who introduced computer analysis of player statistics into recruitment strategy and forever changed the way baseball is played. Jonah Hill plays the shy, young economist who pitches the recruitment strategy to Beane. Both men were nominated for Oscars for their performances here. The film centers squarely …