Red Dragon review

:. Director: Brett Ratner
:. Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton
:. Running Time: 2:00
:. Year: 2002
:. Country: USA




Adapting Thomas Harris' first chapter of the Lecter trilogy was a daunting task, a cinematic mantrap as it would be hard to top The Silence of the Lambs in people's mind and outdo Hannibal's bold extravaganza. But there was another challenge as Michael Mann already mastered the subject with Manhunter in 1986. The producers of Red Dragon (including Dino de Laurentis who was already on board for Manhunter) decided not to take any risk. Manhunter's cinematographer was brought back along with The Silence of the Lambs' screenwriter while a very fine cast surrounds Anthony Hopkins. As a result, Red Dragon is classic gritty filmmaking: a polished but unimaginative work.

Edward Norton is Will Graham, the FBI profiler who put Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) behind bars. Graham is pulled out of retirement by his former boss, Jack Crawford, (Harvey Keitel) to catch a serial killer, Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes). Graham will meet again with Lecter, enrolling his help to solve the case.

Film Cannibalism

Red Dragon is shot in desaturated colors that give it a gritty look. Despite being a prequel, it plays like a sequel as it tries to recreate the atmosphere and chills of the Silence of the Lambs. Brett Ratner, better known for his contribution to grotesque cinema (Rush Hour 1 & 2, Family Man), surprises here with tight direction. He holds his ensemble cast pretty well, without letting the actors outperform each other, and he dares to push the envelop in terms of cruelty and nudity with the Fiennes character. The last third of the movie is even tense. Unfortunately, Red Dragon looks like the work of a copycat, as Jonathan Demme's shadow is omnipresent in Ratner's direction.

In addition, the fact that Harris' first two novels are so similar—an FBI agent enlists Lecter's help to catch a serial killer—defuses any potential for a real exciting movie.

Red Dragon vs. Manhunter

Red Dragon is a straightforward academic film that lacks Manhunter's visual style and symbolism. While some details like the use of blue tones are reminiscent of the cinematographer's work in Manhunter, we are never close to the estheticism brought by Mann's vision, making Red Dragon looks like an average creepy thriller.

The picture always stays on the surface, without trying to dig under the plot. Except for the tattoo of the dragon and the sleeping tiger that symbolize Tooth Fairy, the film remains in 1st degree entertainment mode. To the contrary, Michael Mann's film was rich in metaphors. The filmmaker used space and buildings as reflections of the characters' state of minds. The ocean referred to Graham's peaceful state of mind, the big houses were a window appealing to Tooth Fairy's voyeurism and Lecter was held in a cold and white hospital-like cell representing the purity of his insanity. The Tooth Fairy played by Tom Nooman was a mentally challenged and tender monster who looked like Frankenstein, an intentional reference which was based on Tooth Fairy's encounter with a blind woman.

While Hopkins has established his trademark as everyone's favorite villain, and certainly masters his art of creepiness, Brian Cox, who played Lecter in Manhunter, was more destabilizing because of his unsettling interpretation of insanity. The movie worked better because its effects could be found in William Petersen's subtle tortured interpretation. Norton neither has that vulnerability nor does he get a chance to show it with that script; he continually looks like a rookie agent on his first mission.

Part of the problem might be that, because they didn't want to remake Manhunter, they eluded some powerful scenes they knew they couldn't surpass them. Red Dragon loses at the psychological level and in intensity but mostly fails because of its Hollywood style blow-everything-up-with-a-twist ending can't match Manhunter's nightmarish and claustrophobic climax.

The Dragon Within

While there is no doubt about Red Dragon's box office power, the film will survive its average entertainment value thanks to an impressive cast. We have to wait until the last third of the film for the meeting between Ralph Fiennes and Philip Seymour Hoffman to really find some excitement. Rhythm picks up and most of the actors find their moment. Fiennes finely underplays his psychopath role, which makes it even more efficient, but at the same time looks too clever to play a social freak. Hoffman is perfect as a scummy journalist. Hopkins and Norton get the movie going and Harvey Keitel and Emily Watson, while underused, add to the value of the ensemble.

Red Dragon lacks ambition and substance but fulfills its main goal: reviving Hannibal Hopkins for his fans once again.


  Fred Thom


     Hannibal

     Movie Reviews: American Films
     Reviews 2012 - present
     Reviews 1998 - 2012


  + MOVIE GUIDE
MOVIE REVIEWS
A B C D E F G H
I J K L M N O
P Q R S T U
V W X Y Z
  + FILM FESTIVALS
  .: AFI Fest
  .: Cannes Festival
  .: COL COA
  .: LA Film Festival
  .: LA Latino Festival
  .: more Festivals
  + CULT MOVIES
  .: Cult Classic
  .: Foreign
  .: U.S. Underground
  .: Musical Films
  .: Controversial Films
  .: Silent Films
  .: Italian Westerns
  .: Erotica
  + RESOURCES
  .: Download Movies
  .: Movie Rentals
  .: Movie Trailer
| About Plume Noire | Contacts | Advertising | Submit for review | Help Wanted! | Privacy Policy | Questions/Comments |
| Work in Hollywood | Plume Noire en français [in French] |