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Review: 'Dragon' worthy follower to 'Lambs'Effective acting from all-star cast
By Paul Clinton (CNN)
(CNN) -- In "Red Dragon," the prequel to 1991's "Silence Of The Lambs," Sir Anthony Hopkins -- who won an Academy Award for his earlier portrayal of Hannibal Lecter -- proves once again that Lecter is the most terrifying villain in cinematic history. "Dragon" also achieves the near impossible: It washes the bad taste out of your mouth from the hideous sequel to "Lambs," the despicable "Hannibal." This film's remarkable effectiveness is also due to the fact that "Silence" screenwriter Ted Tally, who won an Academy Award for "Lambs," is back, along with a stellar cast including Emily Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Harvey Keitel.
This story has been told once before, in 1986 under the title of "Manhunter," starring Brian Cox as Hannibal and directed by Michael Mann. This time the filmmakers have returned to the title of Thomas Harris' novel, "Red Dragon," and this film is more true to Harris' original concept. In a brilliant move, Tally begins the film with a cold open in which we meet Dr. Lecter in the early 1980s. At the time, he is still a respected psychiatrist in Baltimore, and a member in good standing on the board of the local symphony orchestra. Then comes a series of brief -- and highly effective -- vignettes in which we see how Lecter is captured. Over the opening credits, we see newspaper headlines describing his crimes, the public's horrified reaction to them and his subsequent imprisonment for life. Getting to know the villains
As in "Silence Of The Lambs," the imprisoned Lecter is sought out by an FBI agent for help getting into the mind of another serial killer still on the loose. This time the villain's a ritualistic butcher known as the Tooth Fairy (Fiennes) and the FBI agent is Will Graham (Norton). Graham is no stranger to Lecter. He is, in fact, the man who caught Lecter and, in the process, nearly died at Lecter's hand. Now Graham has retired, only to be lured back into service by his old boss Jack Crawford (Keitel). This may all sound very similar to "Lambs," but in this case we actually get to know the killer, whose real name is Francis Dolarhyde, simply known as D. Tally, in fact, has given D a compelling back story not included in Harris' book. Watson, in another carefully nuanced performance, plays a shy blind woman named Reba, who works with D and is attracted to his shyness. Reba also shares D's contempt for others who take pity on people with physical abnormalities. In his case, it's a cleft palate which has resulted in a distorting scar on his upper lip. Tally's tightly crafted script interweaves Graham's desperate search for the killer, the strange relationship between D and Reba, and Hannibal's diabolical efforts to manipulate the entire situation while secretly aiding and abetting D in his downward spiral into complete insanity. This film's enormous emotional punch comes both from the written word and the astounding acting provided by this remarkable cast. Seams between the scenesBut there is one plot point for which you simply must suspend your disbelief or the rest of the film will drive you crazy. Lecter -- who is kept under the most tightly guarded conditions, who is shackled head to toe whenever he leaves his cell, a hideous killer known for his devious cleverness -- is allowed what appears to be complete access to mail communication. He's even allowed to place ads in newspapers with apparently no restrictions. That doesn't ring true. But it's all essential to the plot, so either let it go, or don't go.
The only other fly in this cinematic ointment is that the direction from Brett Ratner (2000's "Family Man" and the two "Rush Hour" movies) is fairly predestrian. You can see the seams between the scenes. He even made a remarkable confession in a recent issue of Premiere magazine, saying that there where days when he was screamed at, at least once, by every member of the cast. This is not a director in control of his film. The score, by Danny Elfman, is excellent, and the cinematography by Dante Spinotti ("L.A. Confidential") is stunning. This film may not sweep the Academy Awards as "Silence of the Lambs" did, but it is good, solid entertainment that is well worth your time and money. "Red Dragon" opens nationwide on Friday and is rated R.
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This film's enormous emotional punch comes both from the written word and the astounding acting provided by this remarkable cast.
