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

For once in my life, I'd like to sit the fence. I neither love nor hate this movie, so it's hard to Recommend it or not. If you are an avid lover of Silence of the Lambs, then I guess you must see this movie. If you are not typically a horror movie fan, but thought that Silence of the Lambs was a brilliant cinematic work of art, you will be disappointed. Being a Horror Movie Lover, I can only say that this film was entertaining.

I'm not sure where the film went wrong exactly. It boasted some really superb actors and actresses and the director, Ridley Scott, is one I generally love. The movie begins ten years following the James Gumm incident. Clarice (Julianne Moore) is no longer the starry-eyed FBI agent wannabe. She is an enlightened and disheartened agent who is close to burnout by a bureaucratic agency.

In the first scene we see a drug bust going down. Something goes wrong, because of the impatience of a male police officer, but Starling gets the blame and gets to take a little vacation time, all courtesy of the lecherous FBI bossman, Paul Krendler played by Ray Liotta.

I've got mixed feelings about Julianne Moore playing Clarice Starling. She is a fine actress, but I just couldn't see her as Clarice. I'll admit, I loved Jodie Foster in this role, so I may be a bit biased, but Moore's portrayal of Clarice was so different from the poor country girl trying to make it in the big city agency. Foster was determined yet vulnerable and we developed a soft spot for her. Moore is simply cocksure and almost sophisticated. She is aggressive in personality and completely self-assured. It was hard for me to make the transition work, but perhaps that's what 10 years in the FBI could do to a person.

Ray Liotta is hardly likable in this movie, but he plays the lech so stereotypically. I wasn't impressed, I know he can do better.

One character I was fascinated by, but could never really get a good feel for was Mason Verger played by Gary Oldman. He is the only surviving victim of Hannibal Lechter. He was drugged by Hannibal, made to carve off his own face and feed it to his dogs. He's bitter. You want to feel sorry for him, but he's such a heinous person, you only feel like he got what he deserved. He is an admitted pedophile who harbors such a hatred for Hannibal that he breeds man-eating boars, trained to kill and eat Hannibal. He puts Clarice on Hannibal's trail by less than savory methods.

Then we have Hannibal. Sir Anthony Hopkins is reason enough to see this movie. Hannibal is curator of a museum in Italy, and also teaches a class on the side. He's been good for a long time, but now that he's been taken off of the 10 Most Wanted list, he's decided it's time to come out of retirement. Well, it's just about time!

Anthony Hopkins is above reproach, but I will say he did what the script called for. I was expecting the classy but ruthless killer from Silence of the Lambs and that was just not so. They were trying too hard to impress upon us that Hannibal is proper and gentlemanly. However, Hopkins is a champ and does his best with the script.

My own problem is comparing this movie to Silence of the Lambs. It's a reasonable assumption, but you really shouldn't do it. They are two very different types of movies; Silence being more suspenseful than horrific and Hannibal being ghoulish and gory. However, it's really not as bad as everyone says. Perhaps I'm hard to shock, but I was genuinely disappointed. Outside of my theater was a sign that read, "Beware! This film is extremely gory and violent. No refunds will be given!" I couldn't get the money out of my purse quick enough! The last scene was a little ghoulish, but nothing to make me scream. In fact, it was more comical than anything; Ray Liotta looked ridiculous!

Maybe I'm just a simpleton, but I found the movie to be confusing. Perhaps if I'd read the book, I'd have been hipper to what was going on. I don't remember a Mason Verger or a Paul Krendler from the first movie, but we are made to feel like we should know who these people are from scene one. Another aspect of the movie that left a sour taste in my mouth was that everybody but Agent Starling was made out to be sleazy or distasteful in some way. Who cares if they got killed anyway?

These little inconsistencies in character and confusing subplots are what garnered the Not Recommended from me. At any rate, I happily parted with my $15.00 and I'm glad I saw the movie, but I probably won't get the video when it comes out simply because once is enough.

Recommended: No