Red Dragon (2002) Review

Red Dragon (2002) Review

Technically, Silence of the Lambs is a sequel (and one of the best, at that), because Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon was the first book to feature Hannibal Lecter, and it was adapted first to film, as Manhunter (Review: http://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2018/10/manhunter-1986-review.html). Having come hot off the heels of Hannibal’s success at the box office, 2002’s Red Dragon is less a remake of Manhunter and more of a re-adaptation. It’s often seen as a prequel, and it is, really, in the way it’s designed. Lecter had already become hugely popular, which influenced this second adaptation of the novel, connecting closer to Lambs than either the book or Manhunter.

The movie begins with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins again) entertaining some dinner guests, then speaking with detective Will Graham (played by Edward Norton this time) about trying to catch a serial killer, whom Will believes is eating his victims. Turns out, the killer is Hannibal all along. They get into a vicious skirmish, ending with Hannibal fatally stabbing Will, and Will stabbing Hannibal, as well as shooting him! Multiple times! But they both live. It’s way too extreme to be believable, and one of the few things I fundamentally dislike. This prologue itself hints at a very interesting story, which almost leaves you feeling like it could’ve made an interesting story within itself (leave that to the TV series to tackle, more on that soon!), but then we get into the story—the same story told in Manhunter, so I don’t really need to recap it all, just read that review if you haven’t.

I think Red Dragon is the second-best Hannibal Lecter film, second only to Silence of the Lambs, though it isn’t really Lecter’s film, despite what the marketing material and home video covers lead you to think. He is once again relegated to being a secondary character, though still has a strong presence throughout. Ted Tally, who adapted Silence of the Lambs, wrote the screenplay for this one, as well, so it’s no surprise that it’s a well-paced, chilling thriller, though still not nearly as well-refined as Lambs, even though the story is arguably more interesting.

Taking the source material into consideration, it’s a largely faithful adaptation, recreating nearly every major scene and including many details described in the book, but even taking the book out of the equation, it’s still a solid thriller. It doesn’t rely on gore and shock like Hannibal did, it’s more about the mystery, though still delivers some select gory moments. In many ways, Red Dragon is a better adaptation of the source material than Manhunter, but not in every way. Not much time is invested in getting to understand Graham’s connection to his family and why he’s resistant to return to the FBI; he just sort of jumps back into things after nearly dying at the hands of Lecter, and doesn’t hesitate to use his knowledge in order to catch Dollarhyde, making the opening prologue a bit superfluous.

The main thing I think Red Dragon got wrong was the casting of Will Graham. Edward Norton just doesn’t pop in this role. He’s interacting with Anthony Hopkins, who is great as Lecter once again, but always feels like he’s operating on one level. He never explodes or exhibits that edge like William Petersen (Manhunter) or Hugh Dancy (Hannibal series), he’s just…OK. All the other actors, though, inhabit their roles perfectly, from Phillip Seymour Hoffman as reporter Freddie Lounds to Harvey Keitel as Jack Crawford. Ralph Fiennes’ performance as Francis Dollarhyde is great, too, and much closer to the character as depicted in the book, but the story also delves more deeply into him. Even Dr. Chilton and Barney the orderly make appearances, played by the same actors who played them in Silence of the Lambs—yet another way this feels more prequel-like. 

The story essentially covers three parts: scenes of the FBI searching for Dollarhyde, scenes following Dollarhyde, and scenes of Graham talking to Lecter. The Lecter scenes are far more numerous than in Manhunter or the book, but it isn’t really a detractor, especially when it’s Hopkins in the role and Tally writing the dialogue. All the scenes following Dollarhyde, whether he’s interacting with Reba, the blind woman who has the hots for him, or dealing with his Red Dragon complex, are riveting. The Lecter/Graham scenes are equally compelling, but some of the FBI investigatory scenes drag a bit. The first half of the movie is good, but it’s in the second half that events really start to accelerate, and the story stops jumping around so much. The ending is nearly exactly that of the book, and it’s in this aspect that I think makes it far superior to Manhunter, though I won’t spoil it.

You could call Red Dragon one of the best horror remakes, or one of the best horror prequels. Call it whatever you want, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an underrated horror-thriller with great acting, a great story, and compelling (though haunting) characters. It’s not nearly as exceptional as Silence of the Lambs, but of the five Hannibal Lecter films, Red Dragon is considerably better than the other, lesser three.