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There are two characters in Hollywood
history that put the fear of God into me: Michael Myers and Hannibal
Lecter. Michael Myers, from the Halloween series, sends chills down my
spine with that blank stare in the mask, never saying a word. Hannibal
is just downright creepy behind the glass in The Silence of the Lambs,
with his escape scene in that movie probably being the most scared I
have ever felt watching a film. Hell, just knowing Red Dragon was coming
out has made me have 2 nightmares about him in the last month alone.
Having read all three Thomas Harris novels featuring the Lecter
character, I always found Red Dragon to be the creepiest. Lecter is only
a small part of that, too. The main villain in Red Dragon is a killer
known as The Tooth Fairy. He comes off as so deranged in the book that
it often kept me awake in fear just wondering if there were really
people in the world as demented as this fictional character.
After what I felt was a weak first attempt in the 80's, Red Dragon has
again hit theatres. This time, it has the only and true Hannibal Lecter,
Anthony Hopkins. In this installment of the series, Lecter's help is
sought by the man who put him away, Will Graham. Graham, who was forced
into early retirement by traumatic face-off with Hannibal, comes back to
put away The Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy is a sadistic killer who has
twice struck innocent families, with no inclination to stop.
Much has been made of extra Lecter scenes being thrown in this movie as
opposed to his very brief appearances in the book. Let me assure you,
they only serve to add to the quality of Red Dragon. Seeing him again
behind the glass and behind his mask is both joyful and scary all at the
same time. Hopkins has lost nothing in the 10 years since the release of
The Silence of the Lambs.
The rest of the characters are cast just as well as Hopkins. Ed Norton
is great as Will, a man who is both brilliant and angst-ridden due to
his "gift" to be able to get inside the head of a serial
killer. Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Francis Dolarhyde, aka The Tooth
Fairy, puts you on the edge of your seat. Emily Watson is also superb as
the blind woman who falls for Dolarhyde. One scene between them in
particular, where she goes down on him, made me laugh and squirm in my
seat as it was soooo creepy.
As an adaptation of one of the scariest books I have ever read, Red
Dragon is great . As a prequel to two movies, including one that would
be on my all-time top 10 list (Silence of course), Red Dragon is
excellent. Even if it was a stand-alone movie, Red Dragon would still be
fantastic. There are also enough references to the previous movies to
delight their fans. Without a doubt, I would consider Red Dragon to be
the must-see movie of the fall season.
 
- 9/10
Sean Cullin -
Senior Editor
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