Red Dragon

Between Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton, there's a chasm as big as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s mouth. And if it weren’t for the excellent Ralph Fiennes, Red Dragon would have been an even bigger disaster than Brett Ratner’s involvement made it. Whereas Hannibal was visually enticing bullshit, Red Dragon is a sterile patchwork of shots films in a routine way, which destroys the potential of its strong screenplay. It’s best to ignore both of these films and live in the illusion that the saga began and ended with the brilliant The Silence of the Lambs. (10/30/2002)

This actually turned out to be a pretty enjoyable trilogy and the theme is still relevant. We arc back to the most popular period when the Doctor was in the office behind the Plexiglas, and we go through the whole story with him only to see the magical point of the "agent in waiting." Yet it’s of little use. Although Clarice is seemingly omnipresent, the fact that she is to be replaced by the entire solemn trio of Norton, Fiennes, and Keitel is simply not enough. I'm thus finding the same paradox as in The Silence of the Lambs, where Hopkins' scenes were damn good, but there weren't enough of them. Here we only got the scene with the nice blind lady and a candid scene from the research room. (Of course, it also doesn't look retro, but that's not really the point.) (09/21/2012)

One book, two almost identical adaptations and lengths, but such different experiences. Mann’s version has William Petersen, Joan Allen and a much (but really much) better filmed scene with the tiger on its side. But it’s only a “Mann classic" in the scenes with silent panoramas of the rainy, nighttime city and at moments when the action is embellished with just the right songs. But it’s all slowed down by scenes that drag on unnecessarily, when they should have finished on the cutting room floor, and also zero suspense. Ratner’s version on the other hand has Hollywood parameters. So slightly (but not much) better tempo, attractive production design, sort of signs of suspense, the intro scene and the excellent casting of absolutely all roles apart from those mentioned above. So both movies made it into the “good movie" bracket, but not an inch higher. P.S.: Review copied intentionally. (02/16/2004)

Red Dragon, of course, cannot compare to the precise and visually impressive The Silence of the Lambs. It is still a decent bit of filmmaking, but Ratner is an average director, simply an ordinary film craftsman who follows in the footsteps of his more famous colleagues. There is a lack of impressive original scenes here, the delicate game with the viewer that allowed the widest audience to navigate an ethically problematic subject where the main protagonist is a brutal serial killer. I have no issues with the cast, and Ralph Fiennes particularly enjoys his role as a psychopath. Overall impression: 60%. (01/31/2009)

The newer adaptation of the book by Thomas Harris, which I personally consider worse than the one from 1986. In terms of story and atmosphere, I preferred the older version, which is somehow rougher. I don't mean in individual scenes, but as a whole. The new "Red Dragon" tries to be too much like "The Silence of the Lambs," but it doesn't succeed because the only thing that stands out are the performances, again led by Anthony Hopkins and the striving Edward Norton. (01/02/2014)