Manhunter: Restored Director's Cut
FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen) has captured the diabolical Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox), nearly losing more than just his mind in the process. But when Graham is called out of retirement to hunt the psychopath known as "The Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan in a role Entertainment Weekly calls "one of the freakiest madmen Hollywood has ever given us") he must once again confront the horrors of "Hannibal The Cannibal." If Will Graham enters the mind of the serial killer, can he ever come back?
Joan Allen (The Contender), Dennis Farina, Kim Greist and Stephen Lang co-star in this shocking thriller directed by Michael Mann and adapted from the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. But be warned: Fans and critics alike consider Manhunter to be far superior to The Silence Of The Lambs, as well as one of the most unnerving serial killer movies ever made.
Member Reviews
alright for its time - Amadeus
I thought it was good. I was horrified with some of the editing though, especially near the end you find yourself saying "Did a 5 year old edit this?" lol. I did see the remake "Red Dragon" and maybe it's just because it's newer and kind of done a different way, but I like "Red Dragon" better. I actually saw "Red Dragon" before I saw "Man Hunter" so it's possible that my opinion on which is better would be different had i seen the original first. I thought the acting by the man who played Will Graham in "Man Hunter" was a little over dramatic but not too shabby. I'd suggest it, but maybe suggest "Red Dragon" first.Good movie, typical of the '80s - Coconut_Willy
Anyone who was around at the time this movie came out knows how influential Michael Mann was, following his success with Miami Vice. Great expectations had been put on this production of a very popular novel and although the film is well made, it certainly fell quite short of the anticipated commercial success. In my opinion, this was unavoidable as what is fashionable for a while becomes obsolete at the first opportunity. That's too bad because the movie is quite good. The storyline is very good, well developed with many sub-plots that makes for an enjoyable watch. The pace is a bit on the slow side with bursts of action throughout very similar to the above mentioned TV series. The cast is good but the acting looks a bit nonchalant which is again quite similar to Miami Vice. The sets and locations are quite good and very typical of what Mann is usually looking for, the soundtrack is appropriate and always present in the background and the camera is quite good also. I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers. As long as you don't expect something as good as the Silence of the Lambs, you should not be disappointed.
The transfer to DVD is good in general but there is an appropriate warning at the beginning that the restored scenes are not always as 'clean' as the rest of the film. Not much extras besides the commentary track.Blame the Era - Ernst_Bitterman
This is less true to the book than was the more recent "Red Dragon", and there is a degree of style triumphant over substance. Keep in mind, though, that it is an artifact of its day, and any of the latter tar will also splatter such well-loved items as "Ferris Bueler's Day Off" and "Top Gun" [insert cat with hair-ball noise for latter]. All that aside, I much prefer the casting here-- Tom Noonan is much more of a freak-show than Ralph Fiennes (nothing against either of them, but freak-show is central to the character), and the quiet psychopathy of Tom Noonan's Lecter makes Sir Anthony look a little like Jeremy Irons in "Dungeons and Dragons".
Member Reviews
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alright for its time - Amadeus
I thought it was good. I was horrified with some of the editing though, especially near the end you find yourself saying "Did a 5 year old edit this?" lol. I did see the remake "Red Dragon" and maybe it's just because it's newer and kind of done a different ...Good movie, typical of the '80s - Coconut_Willy
Anyone who was around at the time this movie came out knows how influential Michael Mann was, following his success with Miami Vice. Great expectations had been put on this production of a very popular novel and although the film is well made, it certainly ...Blame the Era - Ernst_Bitterman
This is less true to the book than was the more recent "Red Dragon", and there is a degree of style triumphant over substance. Keep in mind, though, that it is an artifact of its day, and any of the latter tar will also splatter such well-loved items as "Ferris ...