Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Countless times, I have been told that I absolutely must partake of the Thomas Harris work Red Dragon in some form or another. Someone sent me the novel years ago, saying I must read it. I didn’t. Others have said I just had to see Manhunter, the original film made from the novel. I didn’t. Then, people were saying that I really should (or shouldn’t) see Red Dragon, the remake of the earlier film. I didn’t do that, either. Seems I’m not particularly good at doing what I’m told. Finally, after sufficient time had passed that I could act like it was my own idea, I saw Manhunter. I’m glad I thought of it.

Manhunter, released in 1986 with several different names (including Red Dragon, like the novel – not sure why they didn’t stick with that), tells us the story of Will Graham (William Petersen). It’s often played up as a “prequel” to Silence of the Lambs, but this is really Graham’s story. The movie opens with FBI Section Chief Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) approaching Graham at his beachfront home. Graham is a former agent who quit after a traumatic case left him wounded, both physically and psychologically. Crawford wants Graham back. Just for one case. It seems that Graham caught a notorious serial killer named Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox) on that last case. And there’s another one loose. Crawford knows he’s asking Graham to risk his health in many ways, but feels that this may be the only way to catch their man.

The man they’re after is slaughtering families. He’s killed two already and strikes with the full moon. They know that it’s only a matter of time before he kills again. Graham has the ability to get into the head of a killer, use the clues, the crime scenes, the evidence, to ferret out what makes a guy like this tick. With a motive comes insight. With insight comes foresight. The problem is that it is this very skill that so disabled Graham before. The inability to get Lecktor out of his head nearly drove him over the edge. He has to be willing to take that chance again. Despite the wishes of his wife (Kim Griest) and son (David Seaman), Graham accepts. Crawford knew that he would.

As the case begins to unfold, Graham is forced down those old roads that led nowhere good for him once before, even going so far as visiting Lecktor and asking for his help. Once he’s in, he’s all the way in. The story unfolds as Graham uses all the resources at his disposal to find this man. He’s very good at what he does. Unfortunately, what he does is not necessarily good for him.

Director/writer Michael Mann spins this tale of cat and mouse into a fine two hours worth of entertainment. We get to know Will Graham. He’s a very complete character. His past, his home, his work, Mann uses all these things as ways for us to see inside this man. And it’s remarkably effective. The character of Graham is talented, haunted, driven and stubborn. He takes this case and makes it his case, taking the risks, making the decisions, living with the consequences. Put this character into an incredibly tense, suspenseful situation and there you have Manhunter.

Graham’s investigative skills are nearly paranormal, but never so much so as to stretch our ability to believe in them. He makes no unfounded leaps of logic. All the pieces are there, but we only recognize them as he points them out. Such a smart screenplay is rare thing in the world of the thriller, where we spend so much of our time screaming at the screen for the lead character to stay out of the spooky basement. Well, some of us do. Grahams interaction with Lecktor is like a dance. Both men incredibly cunning, matching wits and playing mind games. Lecktor does his very best to get the better of Graham this time. He still has plenty of tricks in his bag. Graham’s interaction with the rest of the investigative team is scant. He knows he has to do this his way, and that means mostly alone. Only Crawford is allowed in.

The entire film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Dante Spinotti. The gorgeous beachfront scenery all the way down to the gory crime scene photos. Some standout areas include the stark white of Lecktor’s cell, the foggy outdoor scenes of the beachfront and the shots of the killer from below, making him seem otherworldly at best. There is also a fight scene in which a main character does not show superhuman strength, and is knocked cold, like a real person might actually be. Very nice touch, and filmed in a way that makes you feel like the fight is not some conglomeration of special effects and stuntmen. The entire movie is set to a score that is a mix of original music (Michel Rubini and Klaus Schulze) interspersed with heavy rock songs. Heavy in the sense that they take over the scenes in which they are used. Sometimes this is done to excellent effect (the scene using In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida being an excellent example), at other times it plays a bit too much like an episode of Miami Vice. This may simply be that the film is slightly dated, but I found it a little annoying.

The performances are all around excellent. A very young William Petersen as Graham carries the movie effortlessly. For someone acting in only his third film, this is quite an achievement. It is his acting combined with Mann’s very smart screenplay that gives Manhunter such a high level of suspense. Petersen plays Graham as just the right combination of raw talent, vulnerability and confidence that the character needs to be believable. It’s never Graham’s skill that you doubt; it’s his ability to live with it.

Dennis Farina is also very good in the supporting role of Crawford. Not all that much is asked of him, but he delivers a serviceable partner to Graham. We also get a small but wonderful performance from a very young Joan Allen toward the end of the movie. Seems she’s never bad in anything. And then we have Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor. Having been tainted by The Silence of the Lambs, I was unsure about accepting anyone but Anthony Hopkins in this role. I needn’t have worried. Cox is as smart and cunning and evil as he needs to be. He isn’t quite the overtly vicious predator of SOTL, but that’s not what this role calls for. The performance is understated and far creepier for it. His slow, drawling line delivery, especially in his interaction with Graham, is absolutely spine tingling.

Manhunter is a movie that was definitely ahead of its time. An incredibly smart, beautifully put together thriller that doesn’t rely on heavy on-screen gore to drive the story. Graham has depth and is genuinely interesting, rather than simply being there to push the crime story along, and the entire supporting cast plays off that strength. The wonderful photography helps maintain the overall tone of desperate suspense, even when the score gets a little heavy handed. Overall, Manhunter is a superb entry in the thriller genre. I’m terrifically glad that I sought this one out, on my own, without the prodding of anyone else. I highly recommend it to any fan of the thriller. It won’t disappoint. Four and a half stars.



*For a review of the remake of this movie, the 2002 release Red Dragon, as well as a comparison of the two films, go here

Recommended: Yes