[7]

While it lacks the pervasive chill that runs through The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon is a well-made thriller that engages from beginning to end, thanks to a briskly-paced script adaptation by Ted Tally (who won an Oscar for his treatment of Lambs). This is a prequel to the time Lecter met Starling, and also a re-make of Michael Mann’s stylish 1986 film Manhunter. In this update, Edward Norton plays Will Graham, a retired FBI agent brought back into action by Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) to stop a killer known as the Tooth Fairy (a reliably unnerving Ralph Fiennes). Graham seeks the help of our favorite erudite cannibal, Hannibal Lecter (returning Anthony Hopkins). This is a particularly messy collaboration given that Graham barely escaped Lecter with his life years before, and that Lecter is still actively seeking retribution behind Graham’s back… with the help of the Tooth Fairy. I appreciate the equal attention given to both predator and prey, and the cast is solid all-around, including Emily Watson as the killer’s would-be girlfriend. With Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Anthony Heald (returning as Dr. Chilton).