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Man Hunter (Released 1986) & Red Dragon (Released 2002)

Both “Red Dragon” and “Man Hunter” are movies based on the same book plot. If you’re a fan of Antony Hopkins then I recommend “Red Dragon” if you haven’t seen it yet.

To be honest, I feel that there should be another book between “Hannibal Rising” and “Red Dragon” only because we don’t actually get to really find out about Hannibal’s murders in more detail. We are given seductive snippets in the other movies where his victims and crimes are discussed by FBI Agents but we never actually delve into the who, why and how of Hannibal’s murders. Pity.

I’m going to focus more on “Red Dragon” for this post just because I am a fan of Hopkins, so consistency is the key.

“Red Dragon” starts off with FBI Agent “Will Graham” who is getting Lecter to assist him in putting together a profile of the serial killer cannibal, and only realising when it is too late that Lecter is actually the one committing these crimes.

After a vicious attack on “Graham”, Lecter is incarcerated in the dungeon like Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane until he is called upon by “Graham” to provide a profile of a new serial killer dubbed “The Tooth Fairy”. This new serial killer emulates Lecter and his crimes, seeing him as a mentor. “Francis Dolarhyde” who is “The Tooth Fairy” seeks Lecter’s approval for his own killings and is also willing to perform any task given to him by Lecter -such as… killing “Graham” and his family.

Dolarhyde is also rather twisted and his psychological profile is such that he seeks approval from Lecter for his crimes. When taunted by a local reporter to draw him out, Dolarhyde reacts with a ferocity which dumbfounds the FBI. I personally felt uncomfortable when I first saw this scene.

 

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