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The Trickster · 11-15-2002, 07:35 PM

Red Dragon is the prequel to Silence of the Lambs and has been made into a movie previously in the form of Manhunter. It is directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 1 & 2) and stars alongside Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton (Fight Club), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), Harvey Keitel (Pulp Fiction) and Emily Watson (Gosford Park). Many movie watchers, myself included, were extremely disappointed with Hannibal, the last film in the Hannibal trilogy, so upon hearing that Red Dragon was going to be remade with Anthony Hopkins, I thought I could clearly smell the stench of the movie money making industry in full stride. I walked into the cinema clinging to the hope that I would be proved wrong.

The Good
I am happy to report that I was indeed proved wrong. This is not your average word for word remake. This is a stylish and dark thriller, that is more Silence than it is Hannibal. Hopkins has returned to the sinister but intelligent role that made him famous, and left the superhero status that he took on in Hannibal behind. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely perfectly cast in what can only be described as severely deranged, as is Emily Watson, in one of the better blind character performances that I’ve ever seen (watch Toxic Avenger for the worst!) The pacing is good, the suspense is built up well, and most importantly, it doesn’t rely on gore and downright bad taste for shocks like Hannibal.

The Bad
Red Dragon was never going to surpass the greatness that is Silence of the Lambs. Apart from the fact that Silence is just a superior story, the freshness of the film at the time was astounding. Watching Hannibal walk up to the bars with his wide penetrating eyes, madman grin and general aura of intelligence gone wrong, for the first time was a gripping experience. The audience needs more now to get their spine tingling. Also, the chemistry of Norton and Hopkins is certainly there, but it doesn’t come close to the Silence matching of Hopkins and Jody Foster. I’m not fully convinced by the ending either, but I am pleased to see that it was different to Manhunter. I thought I knew what was coming, only to be caught unawares.

Conclusion
A much better film than I expected. Crafted with style and intelligence, Red Dragon joins The Ring as exceptions to the remake failure rule of the past few years. But let’s hope they just leave it as a trilogy and not make what was once very fresh, seem stale.

8/10

11-15-2002, 07:35 PM	#1
The Trickster Manshoon Join Date: September 24, 2002 Location: Australia Age: 48 Posts: 208	Red Dragon is the prequel to Silence of the Lambs and has been made into a movie previously in the form of Manhunter. It is directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 1 & 2) and stars alongside Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton (Fight Club), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), Harvey Keitel (Pulp Fiction) and Emily Watson (Gosford Park). Many movie watchers, myself included, were extremely disappointed with Hannibal, the last film in the Hannibal trilogy, so upon hearing that Red Dragon was going to be remade with Anthony Hopkins, I thought I could clearly smell the stench of the movie money making industry in full stride. I walked into the cinema clinging to the hope that I would be proved wrong. The Good I am happy to report that I was indeed proved wrong. This is not your average word for word remake. This is a stylish and dark thriller, that is more Silence than it is Hannibal. Hopkins has returned to the sinister but intelligent role that made him famous, and left the superhero status that he took on in Hannibal behind. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely perfectly cast in what can only be described as severely deranged, as is Emily Watson, in one of the better blind character performances that I’ve ever seen (watch Toxic Avenger for the worst!) The pacing is good, the suspense is built up well, and most importantly, it doesn’t rely on gore and downright bad taste for shocks like Hannibal. The Bad Red Dragon was never going to surpass the greatness that is Silence of the Lambs. Apart from the fact that Silence is just a superior story, the freshness of the film at the time was astounding. Watching Hannibal walk up to the bars with his wide penetrating eyes, madman grin and general aura of intelligence gone wrong, for the first time was a gripping experience. The audience needs more now to get their spine tingling. Also, the chemistry of Norton and Hopkins is certainly there, but it doesn’t come close to the Silence matching of Hopkins and Jody Foster. I’m not fully convinced by the ending either, but I am pleased to see that it was different to Manhunter. I thought I knew what was coming, only to be caught unawares. Conclusion A much better film than I expected. Crafted with style and intelligence, Red Dragon joins The Ring as exceptions to the remake failure rule of the past few years. But let’s hope they just leave it as a trilogy and not make what was once very fresh, seem stale. 8/10 __________________ <br /><br />Movie Reviewer for Ironworks Gaming<br />Hero of Icewind Dale and alias to The Nameless One, Gordon Freeman, Garrett, Elayna Sedai, Cate Archer, Child of Bhaal, J.C Denton and Patrick Galloway.<br />Leader in the war against commercial music.