Red Dragon (2002)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Brett Ratner

Writers (WGA):

Thomas Harris (novel)
Ted Tally (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Meet Hannibal Lecter For The First Time

Plot:

A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Hannibal Lecter | Serial Killer | Cannibal | Forensic Psychiatrist

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Edward Norton	...	Will Graham
Ralph Fiennes	...	Francis Dolarhyde
Harvey Keitel	...	Jack Crawford
Emily Watson	...	Reba McClane
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Molly Graham
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Freddy Lounds
Anthony Heald	...	Dr. Frederick Chilton
Ken Leung	...	Lloyd Bowman
Frankie Faison	...	Barney Matthews
Tyler Patrick Jones	...	Josh Graham
Lalo Schifrin	...	Conductor
Tim Wheater	...	Flautist
John Rubinstein	...	Dinner Guest
David Doty	...	Dinner Guest

Also Known As:

Roter Drache (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, grisly images, language, some nudity and sexuality.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Austria:14 (Niederösterreich) | Austria:16 (Steiermark) | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-15 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

4160 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Frank Langella recorded lines as the Voice of the Dragon, but his dialogue was later cut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There is a cord visible when the burning wheelchair is rolling down the street, and is also indicated by a trail of fire left behind it when it has fallen over.

Quotes:

Hannibal Lecter: And be grateful. Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dead by Dawn (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Oriental Blues

The Trilogy of Terror

I am fascinated with this trilogy. They are, by far, my three favorite movies of all time. Hannibal Lecter is a character no one can ever forget, and he surely has made his mark in history (Hopkins of course).

I completely understood that Red Dragon was basically another Silence Of The Lambs. However, if you really think about it, Silence Of The Lambs was basically Red Dragon. Both the premise of both films are the same, yet brilliantly different. I saw Red Dragon, and I have to say, it is by far, the most terrifying of the the three. I was never scared in the sequels as I was in Red Dragon; however, I will admit that I think Lecter was the creepiest in Silence Of The Lambs - probably because that was his first take on the character; yet if anyone has ever owned a character it is Anthony Hopkins.

But I digress, all three films have a very different atmosphere to them, which in these films, is so important. "Dragon" has an atmosphere of getting there in time. The entire film is based on the chase of finding the "Tooth Fairy" before he strikes again - very suspensful. It also has a pshycological suspense, not from Lecter or Graham, but from Dolarhyde. We are actaully involved with the "becoming" of a serial killer. The entire plot of this film completely revolves around Ralph Fiennes character. He owns this movie when it comes to complex characters - as we already were introduced to Lecter before. (Had this actualy been the first film, then there certainly would be more of a debate).

In Silence of The Lambs, the atmosphere is all psychological, and as much of a symbol as "Buffalo Bill" is, and as much of a psychologically tortured man he is, he is not the primary focus. Lecter is much more of a monster, in a cage nonetheless, then "Bill" is. The film, in essence is "Dragon's" suspense of stopping another murder, but the focus is heavily on Starling. She is new, she is trying to prove herself, not only as a women, but as a great agent. Her very first assignment is to interview Lecter. She has to immediately learn to match whits with this man that is so undeniably brilliant. Both the characters, and the actors, of Lecter and Starling are absolutely stunning that there is no debate, they both commanded the well deserved Academy Awards they earned.

Lecter was the most terrifying man alive at that point, and he was caged. He couldn't go anywhere, yet he could get inside your head. He was brilliant. Starling prevailed, of course, and learn more about herslef from Lecter, than anything the FBI could have taught. She learned from an absolutely horrifying, yet thrilling experience.

I also thought Hannibal was brilliant. Most people disliked it for many reasons. It was beautifully shot and made. Here Lecter is no long the Lecter we know, he is free. We are seeing this man, who again, is so brilliant that he is mad, in a completely new element - the open world, where he acan actually be more himself. This was Hannibal's movie, and like "Dragon" and "Silence" he is no longer a supporting character, this is his time. Starling now becomes the supporting character. I also thought Julianne Moore portrayed Starling wonderfully. Her portrayal was probably how Starling would have been, after 10 years with the FBI. She is hardened a bit, but she deserves it for being who she is, and what she has accomplished.

All the gore was an added bonus. We never, NEVER saw Hannibal in his moments before. We know what he had done, and what he was capable of doing, but were never treated to it. And lets not forget that this is the way the character was written by Harris. Lecter was unbelievable in the open world. And his fascination with Clarice was not disgusting, it was morbid, yes, but true. I think Lecter thought he helped Graham, why not Clarice in "Silence". But with Starling, he made a connection that he did not with Graham. He had fresh, new person to mold-one who knew of him, but not him the Graham did, and it intrigued him.

These films are masterpieces, the beginning, the middle, and the end. Lecter could terrify audiences for years to come, and there are rarely these opportunities where a series can capture everything and still be fresh. I think, however, that this should be it. It ended wonderfully like "Silence". Lecter is out in the world. He of course, will always be the demon that he is, but it leaves us, the audience, with a feeling of terror, that even though it's over, it will never be. He is out there, and that should be the vision we should be left with to truly be a great suspense film. They did it so brilliantly, how can you refute.