While Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs might be the most famous and acclaimed adaptation of author Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter novels, it’s often incorrectly considered to be the first. Reasonably so. The Silence of the Lambs was a sensation, and to this day it remains the only horror film among six nominated to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Yet the first attempt at adapting Harris to the screen was Michael Mann’s sensational Manhunter, adapted from Harris’s novel Red Dragon. Years later, as cannibal fever took over, Brett Ratner would helm a remake, this time titled after the novel, and it’s nearly as good as Mann’s original. Luckily, Red Dragon is streaming on Netflix, but only until December 31, so the clock’s ticking…
Red Dragon debuted after the box-office success (though critical failure) of Ridley Scott’s Hannibal. There was money in the feasting of human brains, though by 2002, audiences were growing weary of Hannibal’s schtick. Just wait until 2007 and Hannibal Rising, 2002 audiences. Oooph. Red Dragon wisely course-corrected, relegating Anthony Hopkins’ Lecter to a cameo and letting the leads, Edward Norton and Ralph Fiennes, propel the movie forward. The film parallels Manhunter and, unlike Hannibal, feels refreshingly procedural, just like The Silence of the Lambs.
The beat is the same. A serial killer is on the loose, and behavioral analysts must use every tool available (including other killers) to track them down before more lives are lost. Here, it’s Fiennes’ Tooth Fairy, a killer otherwise known as The Great Red Dragon. It’s heady but thrilling stuff, pulpy and elevated at the same time, and it gets pretty nasty.
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Whether Red Dragon is better than Manhunter remains a point of contention. From my perspective, they’re different enough to both more than earn their worth in the Lecter canon, though to each their own. If you’re curious to make the comparison yourself, Manhunter is currently streaming free on PlutoTV. Red Dragon, as noted, leaves Netflix on December 31, so you don’t have too much time left. Just like the detectives in the movie!
What do you think? Any plans to catch Red Dragon again or for the first time before December 31? If you do, check in with me over on Twitter and Instagram and let me know your thoughts.
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