Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1986 | 120 min | Rated R | Region A, B (C untested) | Sep 13, 2011
Will Graham is a former FBI agent who recently retired to Florida with his wife Molly and their young son. Graham was a 'profiler'; one who profiles criminal's behavior and tries to put his mind into the minds of criminals to...
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1991 | 119 min | Rated R | Region free
| Mar 03, 2009
A psychopath nicknamed Buffalo Bill is murdering young women across the Midwest. Believing
it takes one to know one, the FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to interview a
demented prisoner who may provide clues...
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 2001 | 131 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | Sep 13, 2011
Years after escaping custody, the brilliant but psychotic Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) settles in Italy and becomes the curator of an art museum in Florence, even learning to curb his appetite for human flesh. Back in...
Hannibal Lecter is to modern Horror what Dracula is to the chilling tales of old: an icon of the
genre,
a household name, and a surefire box office draw. Though Lecter doesn't come with the same
mythos
as Dracula, his limited screen presence does enjoy the benefit of a classic actor that delivers what
is
probably his trademark role, much in the same way Bela Lugosi will forever be remembered for
his
portrayal as the bloodsucking vampire. Lecter, a product of the imagination of author Thomas
Harris, became something of a legend when Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the character in
1991's
The Silence of the Lambs earned him a Best Actor Oscar. It didn't hurt that the film
walked
away with four more statues, including Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan
Demme), and Best Picture. Hopkins would return in Hannibal a decade later in a role
more
pronounced and front-and-center but not nearly as memorable. Despite Hopkins serving as the
de
facto face of the character and Harris' franchise, actor Brian Cox is the
man with the honor of first portraying the villain in the 1986 Michael Mann thriller
Manhunter, a wonderful film in its own right and based on Harris' Red Dragon,
the
prequel to The Silence of the Lambs and a book that would again be adapted for the
screen
in 2002 under the same name and once again starring Hopkins in the lead role.
Hello Clari...wait! You're not Clarice!
Manhunter Rating: 4.5/5
Former FBI Agent Will Graham (William Petersen) is coaxed back into the fold by Agent Jack
Crawford (Dennis Farina) to help the Bureau solve the case of the "Tooth Fairy Killer." The
investigation has stalled, and Graham's ability to piece together a crime scene and place himself
in the shoes of the killer seems the missing link that will lead to the man's capture before he can
slaughter another family. Fearing that his own family will become a target, Graham agrees under
the
condition that his part in the investigation be nondescript and behind-the-scenes. Graham, best
known for putting away the sadistic Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox), visits his prize catch in prison
in hopes of returning to form; indeed, Lecktor reminds him that the two are "just alike" and
thinking like the killer will lead to his capture. As Graham pieces together the clues, his
involvement in the case is made public by Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang), a photojournalist for a
tabloid newspaper. With Will's family now a target, a race against time ensues to capture the
sadistic killer before he can strike again.
Chilling, intense, and frightening. Manhunter, like the best of Thrillers, digs deep into the
human psyche, pricks at the soul, churns the stomach, and engages the brain. Proof-positive
that a film need not be direct, blood-soaked, or otherwise grotesque to be effective in its portrayal
of evil and terror, Manhunter delivers bone-chilling scares at the mere thought of what
was, what is, and what may be to come. It's a riveting tale not only of one man's quest for
answers, but of the toll it takes on his soul along the way. Though Will's physical form has not
fallen victim to Lecktor or the "Tooth Fairy," his very essence has been stripped of him through
their heinous acts. He's a man torn asunder; detached, emotionally scarred, and mentally
traumatized. Manhunter succeeds because, through Will's search for answers regarding
the case, he simultaneously searches for answers that allow him to heal his own wounds. This is
a complex, intelligent, and altogether captivating motion picture experience. A work of art in the
Thriller genre, Manhunter is just as good as the Anthony Hopkins film to follow.
Directed by Michael Mann (Heat),
Manhunter exudes a 1980s style that firmly cements it as a product of its era. Its
powerful electronic score often dominates the picture, but more often than not it's strongly
supportive of the themes and visuals it accompanies. The film uses music to good effect, and
Mann -- before he came to prominence as a director to be reckoned with and smack-dab in the
middle of his work on "Miami Vice" -- shows not a proficiency behind the camera in
Manhunter, but a master grasp of the medium of film. Mann and Cinematographer
Dante Spinotti (Public Enemies) ensure that every shot is not only visually stimulating
but often, like the music, help to reinforce the themes of the story. Manhunter is
superbly executed, and nary a moment passes where the level of tension hanging over the movie
isn't palpable. Graham's initial foray into the mind of the "Tooth Fairy" as he analyzes the
bloodied crime scene of the killer's latest slaughter is enough to positively frighten audiences.
That's a tribute to the film as a whole: its script, its director, its actors. There's not a weak link in
Manhunter; the performances are spot-on excellent down the line. William Petersen
delivers a superb effort as the determined and troubled former agent forced back into the game,
and Brian Cox is every bit Anthony Hopkins' equal. Though he plays Lecktor with a vastly
differing tone that's somewhat less playful, he portrays the character with the same intelligence,
wit, and understanding of the human mind that defined Hopkins' Oscar-winning effort.
The Silence of the Lambs Rating: 5/5
FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, Nim's Island) is given
a big break when she is assigned to interview and construct a psycho-behavioral profile of the
deranged killer, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, Nixon). Starling
assumes correctly that her assignment is more than she is told, and she enters into a brief battle
of wits with the clever and manipulative Lecter, who finally surrenders to her a clue that may
lead her
down a path towards catching the notorious killer "Buffalo Bill." When Bill kidnaps the daughter
of a prominent U.S. Senator, Lecter's knowledge of the killer becomes central to the
investigation.
His budding rapport with Starling leads him to agree to a deal that may ease the harsh
restrictions placed on him as one of the world's most infamous criminals in exchange for sharing
his knowledge of the Buffalo Bill case, assuming the kidnapped girl is recovered alive.
Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs is a story about a
descent into hell, into both the deepest, darkest and most unforgiving crevices of both the Earth
and
of the human psyche. Hannibal Lecter is housed in a crude, unforgiving, windowless cell that
offers roughly-textured stone walls, a filthy toilet, sink, and cot, and an impenetrable clear
window that offers him no access to the outside world beyond his cage, the man denied even
the bars that allow a criminal's hands and arms to experience brief moments of reprieve outside
containment. Access to the cell is through rather plain and unassuming corridors and stairwells,
until visitors are greeted by a harsh red light and a subtle yet foreboding rumble that signals the
entrance into one of the world's most unforgiving prisons. Buffalo Bill's abode, like the
hallways and staircases that lead to Lecter's cell, is ordinary and modest. Behind the pedestrian
appointments of his living room and kitchen lies a labyrinthine, crude, musty, and inhospitable
path towards both depravity and certain death, the grisly location ending at a deep, dark, and
impossibly steep pit where the innocent await their deaths at the hands of a man as psychotic as
perhaps any the world has ever known. Indeed, each locale suits its inhabitant and the themes
of
the film; Lecter and Bill are equally though differently deranged, Lecter in a smooth and almost
unassuming intellectual fashion and Bill showing less physical control, his emotional make-up
perhaps at odds with his deeper psychological and physical depravity. Each man lives in an
Earthly representation of hell, and each man's mind, too, in their own unique way, exist almost
in another plane of existence where reason, compassion, and morality no longer figure into the
human condition.
Director Jonathan Demme (The Manchurian
Candidate) and Cinematographer Tak Fujimoto (The Sixth Sense)
smartly frame The Silence of the Lambs around a plain,
unassuming visual style that reinforces the themes of depravity and the superficial simplicity but
deeper complexities of the story, Demme's direction earning him a Best Director Oscar. The film
is
consistently drab, visually, even on the surface and
far away from either Lecter or Bill. Bleak, depressing, cold, and unforgiving, the film represents
basic filmmaking at its best, conveying a simple story that is wonderfully disturbing, one that
draws audiences into a world too frightening and stripped of humanity to endure first-hand,
where only movie magic may suffice in leading audiences through a world so depraved as this.
It's part escapist entertainment at its best, and part nightmare that is both horrific and riveting,
one that is too finely constructed from which to warrant -- or desire -- interruption or reprieve. It
takes audiences into a world that seems too grisly for most to comprehend, but does so both
competently and assuredly, crafting along the way a tour into the darkest and most grotesque
levels of humanity where cannibalism, murder, and the absence of even the most fundamental of
human consciousness is absent.
The Silence of the Lambs offers audiences a first-rate story directed with precision and
chilling effectiveness, but it is the performance of its pair of lead actors that makes the film the
unmitigated classic it is, and will continue to be, for generations to come. Hopkins' performance
is
rare, one of the finest in the history of motion pictures, his a complete transformation not
physically but rather emotionally and psychologically, the actor exuding all the qualities of the
Lecter character, those both admirable and despicable. Hannibal is a fascinating villain, a highly
educated man with an impeccable memory and vocabulary, an uncanny ability to manipulate
others, and able to fully read and understand other human being completely and precisely. From
identifying their preferred brands skin cream and perfume to describing, in detail, the personal
histories of others after only the briefest of encounters, Lecter may be one of the smartest and
most refined men in the world, a man of exemplary taste with only the nasty habit of consuming
his fellow man standing between him and greatness. Clarice Starling is the perfect match for
him. She lacks his physical stature, experience, and unsurpassed sense of the world around him
that Lecter feasts on when toying with his captors, but she is astute and insightful in her own
right, and more so than most. She is willing -- and able -- to stand toe-to-toe with Lecter not
necessarily intellectually but psychologically. Jodie Foster is astounding in this role, playing it
perfectly as she lends a sense of shaky confidence to the part. As fine as her performance is,
however, it is devoured by Hopkins' gargantuan and career-defining effort. Both Hopkins and
Foster earned Academy Awards for their performances.
Hannibal Rating: 3/5
Ten years have passed since Dr. Lecter's escape from captivity, and a survivor from one of his
attacks -- a now grotesquely disfigured millionaire by the name of Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) --
has obtained
information on the killer that he wishes to share with a now-disgraced agent Clarice Starling
(Julianne Moore, Magnolia) who is
working on clearing her record and conscience of a bust gone terribly awry. Verger, however,
uses Starling as a pawn to help him track down Lecter; he plans to ultimately capture and
murder the cannibal, exacting revenge for his disfigurement. Meanwhile, in
Florence, Italy, police inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini), on the case of a missing
museum curator, soon learns that the replacement curator is in fact Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Pazzi
hatches a scheme to capture the criminal and collect a handsome monetary award, but Lecter
proves a far more cunning opponent than Pazzi anticipated.
A bona-fide mega-hit when it arrived in theaters in February 2001, Hannibal carved up
the box office to a record opening weekend. Clearly hungry for more exploits of the good Dr.
Hannibal Lecter, audiences ate up Sir Anthony Hopkins' then-latest picture, though the absence
of
Jodie Foster certainly left many viewers with an empty feeling in their stomachs. Indeed, with
the absence of Foster, the change in director, and five Oscar nominations under the belt of its
predecessor, Hannibal had a lot to live up to, and while it's no turkey, it feels more like a
fast food value meal than a robust five-course meal. It's no easy task to
adequately follow up on a classic like The Silence of the Lambs; The Godfather: Part
II
is one such film that is every bit the equal of its predecessor, but most sequels to cinema
greatness often only whet the appetite rather than satisfy the hunger for more of the same.
Even had Hannibal set the table with both Foster and Lambs Director Jonathan
Demme, the film's significantly weaker storyline would have still left it with too many
empty calories to be of any artistically nutritional benefit.
It's not that Hannibal is a bad movie; it's certainly not something that will show up on
any "bottom of" lists, but it's simply a far cry from the greatness of
both Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs. It's neither as
thought-provoking nor expertly crafted as either Mann's or Demme's films. The more
action-oriented Ridley Scott takes the reigns for Hannibal; he's a superb director but just
doesn't have much to work with here. Whereas the film's surrounding Hannibal on his
resumé -- Gladiator and Black Hawk Down --
feature a more kinetic, nonstop, gritty, and realistic tone, Scott attempts to slow things down in
Hannibal, and it just doesn't quite fit in with the style he embraced in the early years of
the decade, particularly once the film moves past the trademark Scott-style shootout in the
opening act.
One of Hannibal's most glaring problems is Julianne Moore. She's a fair actress but
displays little
emotion throughout; she seems tired and indifferent, more interested in getting through the
scene rather than breathing life into the part. Otherwise, the cast of Hannibal is solid.
Ray Liotta is delicious in his somewhat small role, Zeljko Ivanek is wonderful in a supporting part,
and Hopkins is, well, Hopkins, though even he can't quite seem to recapture the magic of The
Silence of the Lambs with a part that's a bit more active and pronounced here. The show
stopper, as he always seems to be, is Gary Oldman. No other actor working today, and very few
in the history of movies, are capable of so absolutely losing themselves in a role as he. Oldman is
completely unrecognizable as the disfigured Mason Verger, but it's more the actor than it is the
makeup that manages to create the character. Ultimately, however, neither director nor stars
are to blame for the picture's lukewarm feel; short
on suspense and high on shock value rather than genuine terror, Hannibal just can't
compete with its predecessors for sheer moviemaking and storytelling greatness.
Manhunter arrives on Blu-ray with a somewhat strong MPEG-4 1080p, 2.35:1-framed
transfer. The transfer features consistently heavy grain, blacks that occasionally crush detail,
several scratches and spots, and a somewhat flat appearance, but it nevertheless delivers an
image that, on the whole, appears suitably rendered on Blu-ray. Graham's venture into the
wooded area behind the murdered family's home in chapter five reveals a nice bit of texture and
fine detail on tree trunks and the surrounding foliage. Otherwise, detail is generally
underwhelming but not deficient. Faces occasionally look unnaturally smooth; however, it's not
likely a
result of digital manipulation but seemingly more a stylistic intent and inherent to the source.
Speaking of, flesh tones sometimes take on a slightly ghastly appearance. Colors range from
bright and bold to somewhat muted. Manhunter's image quality won't be confused for
The International,
but
more often than not it looks suitably good, all things considered.
The Silence of the Lambs Rating: 3.5/5
The Silence of the Lambs finally debuts on Blu-ray with an MPEG-2 encoded 1080p high
definition transfer, presented inside a 1.85:1 frame. The image is fairly grainy, and black
backgrounds generally see a spike in the level of visible noise. The film has a bleak, depressed
look
about it through much of the runtime, setting the tone for the feel of the film and the grisly
characters that inhabit it. Colors, too, are slightly dulled in some scenes but a bit brighter in
others.
They are always stable and strong and never too harsh and overblown or underdeveloped. Fine
detail is adequate but not stunning. The rough textures of Lecter's cell walls and the pit where
Bill
keeps his victims are fairly well defined, but there are no earth-shattering levels of fine detail
seen
here. Other objects look better under the right conditions, a tape recorder and several drawings
seen in Lecter's Tennessee holding cell, for example, offer higher levels of visible detail than do
those in darker, danker, grimier locales. Flesh tones look good throughout. Blacks, aside from
seeing a rather heavy level of noise, are dark but not always deep and inky, and there is
occasionally a slight loss of fine detail in the darker corners of the image. The Silence of the
Lambs offers a bland visual style that will never sparkle on any format, and it is reproduced
fairly well on this Blu-ray release.
Hannibal Rating: 3/5
Hannibal is served up on Blu-ray with a decent MPEG-2, 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer.
Aside from some heavy edge enhancement accompanying a few shots, Hannibal looks
fine but mostly unremarkable. Fine detail is never all that impressive; building façades in the
Florence segments, for example, tend to look flat and without much attention to small textures.
There are a few scattered instances where visible detail creeps past the mundane, but ultimately,
Hannibal simply doesn't go the extra mile. Colors are neither bold nor drab; they find a
suitable middle ground in most every scene, whether in bright outdoor shots or more muted,
shadowy, and otherwise darkened interiors. Black levels never stray towards an unnatural shade
of gray, and
flesh tones retain a natural tone. All told, Hannibal's transfer is much like the quality of
the movie itself: suitable but unremarkable.
Featuring a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, Manhunter's audio presentation is
decidedly front-heavy and loud. Most of the music throughout plays at borderline thunderous
volume at reference level. However, it lacks the absolute clarity associated with the finest of
soundtracks. Moreover, Manhunter sounds tight; several musical cues and sound effects
feel cramped as they flow from the center channel. A good example is one of the film's opening
scenes
as Crawford coaxes Graham into returning to the FBI. Speaking seaside, the gentle crashing
waves seem condensed and focused straight up the middle rather than spilling over into the sides
for a more realistic and robust presentation. Several gunshots as heard at the end of the film are
appropriately loud but somewhat muddled. The track does open up a bit at times
for a more spacious-sounding presentation, but the back channels are used only sparingly
throughout. Though dialogue reproduction is never an issue, Manhunter's lossless
soundtrack isn't among the best of the best to be heard on the Blu-ray format.
The Silence of the Lambs Rating: 3.5/5
The Silence of the Lambs chews into Blu-ray with a stable but not overly impressive
DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music and effects sound slightly rough around the edges and
somewhat
undefined; the tussle in the prison after Starling's first meeting with Lecter, for example, features
a
ruckus from the prisoners who rattle their cages and beds while shouting obscenities, but it's
never
all that clear and pitch-perfectly defined in its presentation. Gunshots, heard primarily during
training sessions at Quantico, are loud enough but seemingly lacking in the utmost clarity. Some
sound effects move around the front of the soundstage with decent precision and clarity,
speeding
vehicles for example, which make for a bit of a reprieve from what is otherwise a front-heavy and
dialogue-centric audio experience. In a film like The Silence of the Lambs, the audio
presentation is meant to do little more than reinforce the story, and it does so admirably here.
It's
fine where it counts, offering strong dialogue reproduction, decent sound effects, and
appropriately-placed and clearly-presented musical cues. None of it will push a sound system to
its limits, but
many viewers will likely be too enthralled in the story to notice what is a fairly lackluster sound
presentation, though one that seems to stay in line with filmmaker intent.
Hannibal Rating: 3.5/5
Like the other two films in the set, Hannibal features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack. The shootout as heard early in the film delivers a nicely-realized, full-blown sonic
experience. Gunshots erupt from every corner of the listening area, and the impact of bullets on
both solid objects and flesh deliver a head-turning sensation. Likewise, several car crashes in the
sequence deliver a fair amount of power through the low end. Otherwise, this soundtrack sticks
to the basics, delivering a suitably clear, distortion-free, and a moderately high quality
presentation of music and sound effects. Atmospherics are generally heard across the
front. The back channels are used sparingly once the film moves past the more action-oriented
opening segment. Dialogue delivery is crisp and natural. Certainly not the sort of track to
impress friends or wake the neighbors, Hannibal's lossless offering nevertheless gets the
job done in suitably efficient fashion.
The Silence of the Lambs features a nice array of bonus materials. Breaking the
Silence (480p, 1:58:37) is a picture-in-picture feature that runs intermittently over the
length
of the film, offering viewers text-based trivia and interview clips with primary members of the
cast
and crew as they recount their experiences in making this Academy Award-winning film.
Understanding the Madness (1080p, 19:35) takes viewers into the real world the
Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI and the work they conduct to solve crimes. Inside the
Labyrinth: Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs' (480p, 1:06:28) is a ten-year retrospective
look back at the film, beginning by examining the time in which the film was made and America's
obsession with serial killers, and moving on to look at the construction of some of the sets and
effects, the performances of
the cast, the praise and the criticism the film received after its release, and much more.
The
Silence of the Lambs: Page to Screen (480p, 41:17) is a piece hosted by Peter Gallagher and
examines how author Thomas Harris' chilling and grisly novel became one of the most respected
films of all time. It documents the actor's careers before the film, their foray into the world of the
FBI, their transformation from actor to character, and the film's and actor's post-release
successes and controversies. Scoring the Silence (480p, 16:00) features a look at the
contributions of Composer Howard Shore. Original 1991 'Making Of' Featurette (480p,
8:07) is a brief throwback piece that makes for a interesting watch insofar as seeing the
differences between the making-of features of then and now, but otherwise offers no
major information that was not revealed in the previous features. Next up are a series
of more than twenty deleted scenes (480p, 20:29), outtakes (480p, 1:46), and a
phone message from Anthony Hopkins (1080p, 0:34). Concluding the supplements are eleven
TV spots (480p, 5:55), a teaser trailer (480p, 1:05), and a theatrical trailer (480p, 1:49)
advertising the film.
One of Hollywood's most recognizable villains, Hannibal Lecter is both a household name and a
guaranteed box office draw. As portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, the character has come to be
associated with the actor, an unbreakable bond much the same way Marlon Brando is the
Godfather, Sean Connery is James Bond, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Terminator. As with
any villain, he's only as good as the story he's in, and The Silence of the Lambs proved
up to the task, elevating the story and the character to unparalleled heights, heights even the
fabulous Manhunter failed to even come close to attaining several years earlier, despite a
film that's nearly as good. Unfortunately, the series took something of a wrong turn on the way
to Hannibal, but it in no way detracts form the greatness of Manhunter or
Lambs. MGM's boxed set, unfortunately, fails to impress. Though none of the films look
or sound bad, neither do they set the high definition world on fire. The Silence of the
Lambs retains the strong supplemental package as found on the standalone disc, but
Manhunter and Hannibal are about as bare-bones as two discs can be. Still, this
is the only way to currently own Manhunter and Hannibal on Blu-ray, and fans
will want to pick this up.
StudioCanal have revealed that they are planning to bring to Blu-ray the first season of NBC's TV series Hannibal, starring Mads Mikkelsen (A Royal Affair, Casino Royale), Hugh Dancy (Black Hawk Down), Laurence Fishburne (King of New York, The Matrix), Caroline ...
The first trailer for NBC's upcoming TV series Hannibal has been released. Created by Bryan Fuller (TV's Pushing Daises, Dead Like Me) and starring Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, and Lara Jean Chorostecki, the show will premiere ...
Amazon's Blu-ray Deal of the Week affects The Hannibal Lecter Collection. The set bundles together three films that deal with author Thomas Harris' most indelible literary creation: Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated serial killer whose brilliant mind often makes ...
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