Manhunter (DVD, 2001, Theatrical Version)

This movie is based on the Red Dragon novel and this is the first movie to feature Hannibal Lector. This is Michael mann's masterpiece and the acting from Will Petersen and Brian Cox are outstanding. The soundtrack is a little dated with too much synthesizer but the Miami Vice director shines in the 2nd finest Lector film behind Silence of the Lambs. If you like Red Dragon you should adore this gem, Brian Cox is not Anthony Hopkins but the overall feel of this film is superior to Red Dragon. This is certainly one of the best serial killer movies of all time. The film was reputedly changed from being called the Red Dragon to Manhunter because the film Year of the Dragon from earlier that year had bombed at the box office and the producers wanted to avoid the word Dragon.

early and BETTER version of the movie RED DRAGON~

PLOT: HANNIBAL LECTER IN EARLY VERSION OF RED DRAGON~ BETTER THAN THE SECOND~

A series horrible of killings of random families has every one baffled~ but they have too much in COMMON not to be a serial killer~ so along comes FBI Agent WILL GRAHAM (William Peterson) who knows how a serial killer thinks and can make sense of the HORRIBLE KILLINGS AND EVEN WORSE CLUES~ called out of retirement to help with the TOOTH FAIRY because he leaves his tooth marks on the victims~ made in 1986 this is a very good mystery~ BECAUSE Will reluctantly looks over clues only HE can make sense of and hopefully help locate the KILLER before next family is slaughtered by him~ along the way he has to LOOK UP HIS OLD NEMESIS HANNIBAL LECTOR IN PRISION and his help to find the killer~ ONLY Hannibal has his OWN Agenda~ IN this version the KILLER (Tooth Fairy) was horribly abused a child and we see how the child is TURNED INTO THE MONSTER HE BECOMES IN THIS VERSION~ which helps at least understand WHY he became what he is~ the ending is a bit difference than the newer version and I THINK THIS DIRECTOR HAS MUCH BETTER GRASP OF THE PLOT AND IS ABLE TO SHOOT FROM EXCELLENT AND EXCITING ANGLES that leave us wanting more~ as we follow the story from WILL and from the KILLERS point of view! and there is an excellent MYSTERY here....HOW and why does the killer "select" his victims? more than just go randomly kill someone there is a very twisted and clever way the KILLER selects his next victims~

I GIVE THIS A SOLID 10 OUT OF 10 FOR MYSTERY AND HORROR TALE ~ THIS IS A SERIAL KILLER MOVIE SO SOME GRAPHIC GROSS SCENES BUT THIS IS WHAT I EXPECT IN THIS MOVIE. BETTER than some of the newer versions~ a HAVE TO SEE IF YOU LIKE HANNIBAL MOVIES~

IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE~

I Love the Hannibal movies. The one I like best is "Red Dragon". One day I heard that there is an older movie in the series, a less familiar one, Manhunter.
So I logged on to eBay and bought me a copy of this movie.
In general Manhunter is the same story line as Red Dragon. Actually, many of the dialogs and scenes from Manhunter were remade in Red Dragon. I guess you can call Red Dragon a remake of Manhunter. Though it is the same, Manhunter is less thrilling then Red Dragon. The ending is a little different and the characterizing of Francis Dolarhyde (AKA the Tooth Fairy) is lacking.
The movie is kind of boring and the dialogs are hollow. The visuals are basic. For example, the Tooth Fairy's house is too normal. It has no elements in it whatsoever which imply that a serial killer lives in it. In "Red Dragon" for instance, Dolarhyde's house was creepy, it had a lot of books and stuffed animals in it, and a giant portrait of his abusing mother (or grandmother). Those elements helped understand Dolarhyde's character and kept the viewer interested in the movie. I also have to add that Hannibal's Character was poor, and I cannot even compare it to Anthony Hoppkin's Hannibal.
In the bottom line, Manhunter is kind of a crappy movie. In comparison to the Hannibal series it is very poor and lacking, and on its own it is kind of boring and the characters are not well developed. To me it felt like watching a pilot of a really good TV show.
The DVD itself is well made, the menus are cool and classy and in the overall it is worth having,
I do like William Petersen (he later took the role of Gill Grissom in CSI) and I think that if you are a real fan of the Hannibal movies, you should seriously consider purchasing a copy of Manhunter.

I have seen "Manhunter" several times on TV. It is so watchable I decided to
buy the dvd. This version is excellent. Good quality picture and sound.
While "Silence of the Lambs" is the ultimate Thomas Harris novel adapted to the
screen, "Manhunter" is very good in a more understated and fascinating way. I
think it is superior to "Red Dragon," a later adaptation starring Ed Norton and Anthony Hopkins again as the evil Dr. Lector.

A great film by Michael Mann. See William Petersen in a great pre-CSI, yet CSI-type role. Brian Cox is fantastic as Lecter. A much more realistic take than Hopkins's. Watch this before/in comparison with Brett Ratner's RED DRAGON. MANHUNTER is far superior. RED DRAGON mimics MANHUNTER not only in dialogue(which sometimes it can't help cuz it's a novel adaptation) but also in shots and editing.