Red Dragon (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

A lot could've gone wrong in <I>Red Dragon</I>, but the movie exceeds expectations. Replacing the acclaimed <I>Manhunter</I> as an "official" entry in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, this topnotch thr... more

A lot could've gone wrong in <I>Red Dragon</I>, but the movie exceeds expectations. Replacing the acclaimed <I>Manhunter</I> as an "official" entry in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, this topnotch thriller--the second adaptation of Thomas Harris's first Lecter novel--returns to the fertile soil of <I>The Silence of the Lambs</I>, serving as both prequel and heir to the legacy of Lecter as portrayed, with mischievous menace, by the great Anthony Hopkins. Familiar faces and locations reappear (along with <I>Lambs</I> screenwriter Ted Tally) as Lecter coaches FBI profiler Will Graham (Edward Norton) in tracking the horrific "Tooth Fairy" killer (Ralph Fiennes), whose transformative killing spree is inspired by a William Blake painting. By dutifully serving Harris's potent material, Tally and director Brett Ratner craft a suspenseful film worthy of its predecessors, bringing Hopkins full circle as one of the cinema's all-time greatest villains. With overtones of <I>Psycho</I> and a superb supporting cast, <I>Red Dragon</I> succeeds against considerable odds. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I> less