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Hannibal Lecter: Anthony Hopkins Clarice Starling: Julianne Moore Mason Verger: Gary Oldman Pazzi: Giancarlo Giannini Paul Krendler: Ray Liotta Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by David Mamet and Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Thomas Harris. Running time: 131 minutes. Rated R (for violence, nudity and language). |
My expectations weren't high when I entered the theatre. I didn't expect Hannibal to be as better a movie than the its predecessors (Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs) because the book wasn't as better. After seeing the film, I wasn't surprised that my prediction came true. The book didn't have the charm or cleverness of the other two. Maybe we were too familiar and involved with the characters to have them tarnished or altered. We wanted them to stay in that perfect crystalline shape they were in when we last saw them. However, this doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the book, Hannibal. I thought it was a wonderful book, just not on par with the other two.
It has been ten years since the events of The Silence of the Lambs took place. It left audiences thrilled and excited, as the story left the door open for another film about our favorite cannibal. However, they are about to find out that change is eminent and they may not like what they find.
At the end of The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling (replaced by Julianne Moore, after Jodie Foster declined the role) was at the start of a promising career as a FBI agent. She had captured the serial kidnapper nicknamed Buffalo Bill. She also survived numerous conversations with Hannibal Lecter, which resulted in the two to form a strange relationship.
Now we find out that Clarice Starling's ten-year career hasn't been like the path that she imagined. It is a road filled with potholes and speed bumps with construction roadblocks dead ahead. She is also not the Clarice Starling we remember.
Once an innocent, cunning and bright-eyed young woman, now reveals a frustrated, hard and beaten person. All her ideals and beliefs in the system have all been demolished. She gets a piece of mail from the Guinness Book of Records which confirms her as having killed more people than any other female FBI agent. Her social life is nonexistent. All she has is her work, which is the source of her frustration.
One of her foes there is Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta). He is one of Clarice's superiors and seems to enjoy making her into a fool. He seems intent on destroying her career. Later in the film, we discover the cause of all this friction and hatred between the two is from an incident (or should I say a lack of one) the two were involved in.
After a bloody apprehension of a criminal in a crowded market that led to six deaths, including her partner, Starling is suspended. It obviously wasn't her fault, as she tried to call it off, but it fell on deaf ears. However, she doesn't sit at home for long, as someone from the past is about to make his presence known.
While Clarice is struggling with criminals and her superiors, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is living a peaceful and comfortable life. His experiences have been quite the opposite of Starling's. Hannibal has been toiling his days in Europe. We find him in Italy, Florence to be exact, as he is trying to obtain the job of a scholar. He wears the fanciest clothes, partakes the exquisite foods and enjoys the open air that he has long imagined when he was in his dungeon. It is quite ironic that it is Clarice who is trapped, while Lecter is able to roam free.
The last time we saw Hannibal Lecter, he was in pursuit of his next meal. Their was no mention of the "Good Doctor," but I am sure we have a good idea what his fate was. Many years of seclusion has made his name be forgotten. He even fell through the ranks of the FBI and is no longer on their Ten Most Wanted. However, with a single letter, his hibernation is over and the hunt begins.
The third side of this triangle is an affluent, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman). Mason has the distinction of being the only victim of Hannibal Lecter to survive. Although, from the looks of him, you wonder if he rather be dead. Mason was a child molester, who was sent to Dr. Lecter for therapy. He seems intent to use all his resources to capture the man who put him in the current state that he is in. His skin is horribly disfigured and is confined to a wheelchair.
When Mason does capture his prize, he plans to serve Lecter as a meal to a pack of voracious pigs. The film shows scenes where they seem to get more excited by the sound of human screams. Mason may get his wish as an Italian detective, Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini), believes that he has found the whereabouts of America's most sought after cannibal.
Mason face looked like he had a bad case of the mumps from certain angles. We are frightened by his face the first time we see it, but as the film continues, we become quite use to it. The shock value isn't there anymore and it soon becomes some person in alot of make-up. It would have better if they had revealed his face near the end or midway through the film.
There are many scenes of gore that sprinkle itself throughout the film. Hannibal attacking a female nurse. Skin being cut and torn off. A person's head is sliced off to expose the brain, which is then served as a main course. The scene is like a chef removing the cover to reveal his main dish to the customer. Disembowelment. And of course, there are the man-eating pigs.
This is Hannibal Lecter's third appearance in a film; the second time he is played by Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins plays the role with such charisma and flare that we can't help but like him (or at least not hate him). Of course, we disapprove of his naughty behavior, with the occasional killing and all, but we can't help but forgive him like a loving parent. With just a smile and gleam in his eye, we can't help but cheer for him. Of course, we will do it at a safe distance.
It is an interesting idea for Lecter, after all these years of being the predator, to become prey to his victims. However, we never feel that he is a victim. After all, that would betray the image we have of him. He is a man so in control that he can't be surprised. He effortlessly anticipates his opponents every move. Even when he is captured, we don't feel afraid for him. Instead, our emotions are pointed toward Mason, since Lecter is even closer to his victim and knows where he is.
In addition, maybe that is why I didn't appreciate Hannibal as much as the other two. There is no mystery or the allure of Lector. You witness the atrocities that he commits, but it doesn't seem as horrendous as the other murders you see. There might be some people who were disgusted rather than appalled by the scenes. Maybe it is just me. In the dungeon, he was restrained and trapped, therefore his intellect was his only resource. In the open, he doesn't have to rely on it too much.
The film delves deeper into the relationship between Starling and Lecter. In The Silence of the Lambs, we felt there was chemistry between the two. It was not necessarily romantic, but fascination, most of it supplied by Lecter. In Hannibal, the relationship has gone to another stage. Lecter has developed a likening toward Starling. Starling doesn't reciprocate those feelings, but there is a hint of admiration and respect for him.
Ridley Scott is one of the best visual directors to grace the screen, known for films like Blade Runner and Alien. He knows how to shoot and show action. However, Hannibal is a film that needs sophistication, style and elegance. There are very few times when we feel that sort of elegance from Lecter, but most of the time it feels like he is spouting off double-entendre lines. Grade: B-
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