THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
It’s safe to say that putting one chapter behind you before you start the next one is inevitably challenging.
PLOT
Inspired by Thomas Harris’ novel ‘Red Dragon’, Manhunter follows Will Graham who has retired from the work of a FBI criminal profiler after having a mental breakdown due to being attacked by a cannibal he was able to apprehend, Hannibal Lecktor. Fellow agent Jack Crawford reaches out for his help on a case revolving a serial killer dubbed the ‘Tooth Fairy’ due to the bite marks he leaves on his victims, targeting families every full moon. Will takes the case with the promise to his wife Molly that he’ll only find evidence and avoid putting himself at physical risk. When he visits the previous crime scene in Atlanta to trying entering the killer’s mindset, he finds fingerprints only to be costed by tabloid journalist Freddy Lounds. Will dislikes Lounds because he exploited his recovery after his first encounter with Lecktor. Short on leads, he goes to the cannibal for his insight about it which would be beneficial due to his previous work as a psychiatrist. Lecktor agrees to do it, but before choosing to call Graham’s psychiatrist and get his address. By the time Will visits the first crime scene in Birmingham, Crawford contacts them that Lecktor got a note from the Tooth Fairy that expresses admiration towards the cannibal and an interest in Graham. He then meets up with Crawford in Washington to find a missing section of the note confirming a Lecktor will respond on The National Tattler, Lounds’ newspaper. Needing to use the paper as part of a sting, they plant a fake advertisement to lure him out. Will uses himself as bait when doing a front page picture with Lounds and by night, he roams around the streets only to accidentally mistake a random jogger to be the killer. After this botched operation, the Tooth Fairy tortures Lounds by biting off his face and forcing him to tape record a statement before setting him on fire and leaving his body at the National Tattler’s parking garage. By the time the FBI decodes Lecktor’s message to involve Graham’s home address, Will and his family relocate to a safe house until the case is solved. As they settle in, he shares with his apprehensive son Kevin (David Seaman) about how Lecktor’s attempt to mentally scarred him to the point he had to check into a psych ward until he felt was in better condition to go on with his life. Hearing helps the child understand there’s nothing wrong seeking help. In St. Louis loves the Tooth Fairy himself, Francis Dollarhyde who works at a film lab. There, he falls in love with his blind coworker Reba and takes a first step in pursuing her when giving her a ride home. Instead, he takes her to a pet a tiger and takes her to his home where they have sex together. Will calls Lecktor for the last time for his insight, only for him to chastise him on possibly enjoying when he last killed a murderer before retirement. Just as he discovers the following night that his kills are based off of the desire of acceptance, while revisiting another crime scene, Francis kills another man that escorted Reba home and chooses to abduct her. Will also suspects that Dollarhyde had to have seen the family’s home movies before the murders, thus leading to finding his film lab where they were processed. Once determining who saw the films, Graham and Crawford head to Dollarhyde’s home with a police escort. The Tooth Fairy almost kills Reba with a shard of glass but is stopped by Will. Francis subdues him, but it would only be temporary because when he shoots down two other officers and injuring Crawford, the protagonist recovers in time to shoot him first. With Reba and Crawford being tended to by paramedics, the film ends with Will reuniting with his family and resume retirement.
THOUGHTS
Considering that the Hannibal book series and following film adaptations have been strongly identified as horror thrillers, it was a surprise when realizing how the first adaptation was more of a noir thriller in comparison. This doesn’t bother me at all because Director Michael Mann well crafted it like he was made for it. The patient pacing is possible thanks to impressive editing by Dov Hoeing and Dante Spinotti’s cinematography embraces all the paranoia you would expect in the crime world. With all said elements, I think this film still deserves respect for setting up this depiction on how it is not our past trauma that defines us but instead our healed future, which is put to realization from a strong lead. William Petersen is great as Will because he’s visibly scared of his own talents. He’s too good at what he does entering a killer’s psyche and knows no one else can better solve it like him. He did the right thing checking himself in at the ward after his fallout with Lecktor because it was his best case scenario for wanting to be healed. I love that he tells his son about his issues because he teaches there’s no shame in seeking such help. Kim Griest also does a great job in playing Molly as a supportive because she understands how much of a difference he makes when involved, thus not invoking him to avoid it. The fact he’s able to solve the case without a severe setback proved some risks were worth taking. I also enjoyed Dennis Farina as Crawford because even though he’s a bit reliant on others for skills he don’t have, he still shows sympathy towards Will and knows how big of a deal it was to ask for his help. Even though it was he who got injured instead of Graham, the results of solving the case were worth it by the end of it. The most conflicting character in this story is Lounds without question because Stephen Lang portrays him to be very sleazy of a guy who was far from considerate when it came to Will’s recovery and continued doing so when he was back on the job. You know he deserves consequences for his actions, but little would he expect his punishment to be so brutal. There have been some deadly serial killers in fiction and our non fiction, but I still feel stunned when thinking about the Tooth Fairy. Before Ralph Fiennes had his own approach in the 2002 iteration, Tom Noonan made him so compelling for having a twisted form of empathy. He targets families because he seeks acceptance which implies he never had it in his childhood. And when it came to pursuing a kind soul Joan Allen made out of Reba, he felt he’d get it until his paranoia got the best of him. You want to defend his way of thinking, but you can’t condone the blood he sheds which is why it is for him to be slain rather than a chance to do more harm. What many can agree though is that the scene stealer is Hannibal Lecktor. Although Sir Anthony Hopkins redefined the character in The Silence of the Lambs, Brian Cox’s first take is still fascinating to look back on because he gave his own flair on being helpful in his own psychotic way. He was definitely out of line putting Will’s address out there for Francis to find, yet it was helpful because it was an act that made Graham want to maintain control in his life. Had he not done that, it’s hard to know if the Tooth Fairy would’ve been found sooner. At the very least, you’re just relieved that his involvement didn’t lead to any worser things. Having said what I said in what makes this film work, I still had some head scratching moments. For example, I don’t think it was a good idea for Will to tell Crawford of choosing to visit Lecktor. Crawford could’ve forbade him if he wanted to and announcing it is just as risky as trying to be bait for the sting operation and charging towards the glass window to stop Francis since he promised Molly he’d be safe. I even think him talking to his son about Lecktor in a grocery store was not an ideal place to do it because people do eavesdrop. Anywhere but that would’ve been more realistic no matter how comfortable he wants the kid to be. Also, Lecktor’s call should’ve been bugged to know who he was calling whether or not it’d benefit the case. Ignore this, then you’ll still appreciate everything being done to put it together. In short, Manhunter is still an intriguing crime thriller for showing a stylistic form of terror. If these kind of films are up your alley, don’t skip this.
Comments