Red Dragon
This prequel of the series of Hannibal Lecter movies is actually a remake of the 1986 Manhunter starring Brian Cox as Lecter and William Petersen (CSI) as Investigator Graham. Today, Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Lecter and Edward Norton takes up Graham. I haven't watched Manhunter in quite a long time so direct comparisons aren't really available, but from what I do remember from it, Manhunter was very suspenseful and well-done with Michael Mann at the helm. Red Dragon doesn't come up to its level but it comes awfully close.

Investigator Graham has caught the one man who eluded him in a series of murder cases: the man who has been trying to help him. But after Lecter stabs him, Graham retires to Florida with his wife and kid. A different series of murders involving families convinces Crawford (Harvey Keitel) to go back to his best agent and ask him to look around and provide a few tips. Graham eventually agrees but soon also can't get ahead. As a result, he goes back to his muse, Lecter, now found in the all-too familiar Baltimore psychiatric hospital. We are then introduced to the murderer, Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes) who's commiting the murders to convert them for he is the Red Dragon, a hellish character inspired by a painting. Charming him is the blind woman who works at the film lab with him, played by Emily Watson. Soon, these two paths converge and a bloody ending follows.

Like Manhunter, this too is a well-done, suspenseful film. As the clues are discovered, each one is scrutinized and calculated for full effect. Brett Ratner, whose past films have been mostly sappy comedies and buddy-cop films, does an excellent job in keeping us glued to the screen. His only mistake was in getting us too involved. If you watch carefully enough, you know exactly what is going to happen. A lingering camera shot, a double-take at the end; it all adds up to being one predictable movie. The performances by Hopkins, Norton, and Fiennes were great, but the rest are a bit mixed. Keitel stands around most of the time doing absolutely nothing except listening or taking calls or providing pep talks to a sulking Graham. Watson is a victim just waiting to be taken advantage of. The journalist Lounds, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is just a yes-man always trying to get a story, so you know what's going to happen to him. But wisely, Ratner lets the three main characters dominate the action, pushing the others into the background, and letting this dramatic movie strike a balance between the thinking man's Silence of the Lambs and the gruesome Hannibal. 3 stars