I was thinking long and hard about how to start this review off, and nothing really
came to mind. No one-liner. No witty sentence. Nothing. So, I start it off with
the fact that I have nothing to start this review with, and as annoying as that may
be it sure as hell says something about this movie.
First, let's get a few things straight. Hannibal, while being after The Silence of
the Lambs (a fabulous movie in itself), is in no way its sequel. Dino De Laurentiis,
the producer of this morbid and disturbing tale of revenge and murder, claims that
he sees it as more of a second act, taking place ten years later with the same main
players involved, as well as a few minor ones.
With that said, go out and see Silence of the Lambs. It's good background, and it
helps to explain agent Clarice Starling's strange relationship with Hannibal "The
Cannibal" Lecter. The rest of this review is for those of you who have seen the
prior and now want to see this one.
Hannibal could be called "Lecter Unleashed" seeing as he is no longer a lion prowling
about his cage in the zoo, but rather out in the open wild. Doctor Hannibal Lecter
is living in Florence (he mentions wanting to live there during the first movie during
his chat sessions with Clarice), mainly minding his own business and getting on with
life. He's a curator at a museum. He's got a nice apartment. His life is genuinely
peaceful. And, of course, that's going to change.
Then there's Clarice Starling. Her case with Hannibal Lecter, where she had used his
intellect in order to catch another serial killer, which led to Hannibal's brutal escape
(all expalained in Silence of the Lambs) has made her a respected FBI agent. The movie
opens during a drug-bust gone bad, after local police ignore her orders to stand down
and abort the mission. One agent is killed and Clarice herself takes out five of the
bad-guys, including an HIV positive (at least, we think she is) gang leader/mother.
Starling is reprimanded for shooting the woman, who had been using her infant as a shield,
and pushed back to work on a case she would have rather left alone:
Finding Hannibal Lecter.
She's not the only one looking for him, though. An unrecognizeable Gary Oldman plays
Mason Verger, the only surviving victim from Hannibal's original killings. His face is
completely disfigured, thanks to an encounter with Hannibal that is fairly chilling to hear
him recount (even worse because any damage done was done by himself at the suggestion of
the former psychiatrist-turned-cannibal). He wants revenge for what Doctor Lecter had
done to him, and he has the money to ensure it. He paid off top officials to put Lecter
back onto the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, and he's posted an award online for Lecter's capture.
There's also the Florence cop who is eagerly trying to obtain the reward, going to dangerous
lengths to do so. Add onto that Ray Liotta as the FBI agent who turns out to be both lusting
after Clarice as well as resentful of her success, even though he's her superior.
All of these players come together in one way or another to accent this story about revenge,
of the hunter turning into the hunted.
The players are fabulous in this movie, once you get down to it. Sir Anthony Hopkins seems
born to play the role of Hannibal Lecter. He's both menacing and charming all at the same
time, akin to a modern-day Dracula. Julianne Moore takes over the role of Clarice Starling,
originally played by Jodie Foster. Moore is fabulous and makes this role her own, in no way
haunted by the ghost of Foster. Gary Oldman, even under all that makeup, is genuinely creepy,
and far easier to hate than Lecter. Ray Liotta is also good as the FBI foil to Clarice.
The cinematography is also great. I'm not one to point out the technical feats such as this,
but it deserves special note. There are a great many sequences where the camera work shines,
but one stands out in particular. There is a scene where the Florence police detective is
trying to obtain Hannibal's finger-prints for that special reward. He puts into use the services
of a pickpocket. The camera-work during this scene is great. I can't push it enough, except
to say for anyone watching the movie to pay special attention during this scene.
This isn't to say that the movie is without its flaws. The pace is slow, and while I didn't
mind this, it will surely grate on the nerves of some moviegoers used to the fast-pace of the
standard cineplex fare. Another point is the contrast of Hannibal and Mason Verger. It's
interesting to note that Verger is far creepier and far more seemingly evil than Hannibal has
ever seemed. The reason for this is that whatever Lecter does, he does to survive in this
film. He is hunted, and he is hunted by Verger. Hannibal doesn't seem entirely evil, but
rather a creepy, misunderstand, bad guy. Not quite evil, but certainly vengeful and sadistic.
Verger, on the other hand, is one who doesn't care who he hurts in his quest for revenge.
That's not to say that Hannibal isn't a bad guy or isn't evil. He is, and he demonstrates
this on a number of occasions. It's just that, compared to Verger, he doesn't seem so bad,
and this is because he contains what resembles compassion, something that Verger sorely lacks.
Another point which should be made clear is that this movie is not for the weak of stomach.
All of the violence in this movie is on screen, and it's all quite graphic at that. I won't
really say anything without giving away the movie, but blood flows freely and no detail during
a brutal murder is spared in its depiction (those of you who have read the book... let's just
say that the scene with Liotta's FBI agent at the table is shown in all its glory).
The end result? Hannibal is a great movie, and it's good to see Liotta in something that's
actually worth watching (it hasn't happened since Goodfellas). If you enjoyed Silence of
the Lambs, then go and see this (and if your stomach's weak, then... umm... well, avert your
during the nasty parts). It's a fabulous movie, and it's a good character study of a charming
serial killer and the people he affects around him.
"Okie dokie, here we go..."