Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer.
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Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- Hannibal Lecter: Anthony Hopkins
- Will Graham: Edward Norton
- Francis Dolarhyde: Ralph Fiennes
- Jack Crawford: Harvey Keitel
- Reba McClane: Emily Watson
- Molly Graham: Mary-Louise Parker
- Freddy Lounds: Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Dr. Frederick Chilton: Anthony Heald
- Lloyd Bowman: Ken Leung
- Barney Matthews: Frankie Faison
- Josh Graham: Tyler Patrick Jones
- Conductor: Lalo Schifrin
- Dinner Guest: John Rubinstein
- Dinner Guest: David Doty
- Dinner Guest: Brenda Strong
- Dinner Guest: Robert Curtis Brown
- Dinner Guest: Mary Anne McGarry
- Dinner Guest: Marc Abraham
- Dinner Guest: Veronica De Laurentiis
- Forensic Dentist: Michael Cavanaugh
- Police Commissioner: Madison Mason
- Police Chief: Bill Duke
- Bookseller: Azura Skye
- Jimmy Price: Stanley Anderson
- Dr. Hassler: Jeanine Jackson
- Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited): Ellen Burstyn
- Museum Curator (uncredited): Mary Beth Hurt
- Male Zoo Doctor (uncredited): James Pickens Jr.
- Ralph Mandy (uncredited): Frank Whaley
- Chromalux Secretary: Tanya Newbould
- Woman Detective: Katie Rich
- Photographer: Alex Berliner
- Charles Leeds: Tom Verica
- Valerie Leeds: Marguerite MacIntyre
- Beverly: Elizabeth Dennehy
- Byron Metcalf: William Lucking
- Janitor: Joseph Simmons
- Father in Video: Mark Moses
- Musician: Lisa Haley
- Mrs. Sherman: Lisa Thornhill
Film Crew:
- Original Music Composer: Danny Elfman
- Casting: Francine Maisler
- Editor: Mark Helfrich
- Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
- Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
- Casting Associate: Kathy Driscoll
- Foley Supervisor: Dan Yale
- Production Design: Kristi Zea
- Costume Design: Betsy Heimann
- Stunt Coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
- Color Timer: Jim Passon
- Director of Photography: Dante Spinotti
- Music Editor: Ellen Segal
- Novel: Thomas Harris
- Producer: Martha De Laurentiis
- Foley Artist: Goro Koyama
- Foley Artist: Andy Malcolm
- Steadicam Operator: J. Michael Muro
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Special Effects Coordinator: Ken Pepiot
- Art Direction: Steve Saklad
- Screenplay: Ted Tally
- Executive Producer: Andrew Z. Davis
- Script Supervisor: Martin Kitrosser
- Unit Production Manager: JoAnn Perritano
- First Assistant Director: James M. Freitag
- Prosthetics: Gary Archer
- Production Sound Mixer: Kim H. Ornitz
- Assistant Art Director: Paul Sonski
- Foley Mixer: Don White
- ADR Voice Casting: Barbara Harris
- Sound Mixer: Steve Maslow
- Assistant Set Decoration: Andrea Mae Fenton
- Key Makeup Artist: Randy Westgate
- Property Master: Brad Einhorn
- Sound Designer: Craig Henighan
- Sound Mixer: Gregg Landaker
- Gaffer: Jeffrey W. Petersen
- Stunts: Keii Johnston
- Assistant Art Director: Lori Rowbotham
- Art Department Coordinator: Patti McNulty
- Supervising Sound Editor: Darren King
- Supervising Sound Editor: Gregory King
- Hairstylist: Fríða Aradóttir
- Hair Department Head: Kelvin R. Trahan
- Post Production Supervisor: Lisa Rodgers
- Assistant Costume Designer: Autumn Saville
- ADR Mixer: Jeff Gomillion
- ADR Recordist: Philip Rogers
- Boom Operator: Mychal Smith
- Negative Cutter: Gary Burritt
- Second Assistant Director: Jonathan McGarry
- Makeup Department Head: Julie L. Pearce
- Second Second Assistant Director: Bac DeLorme
- Foley Mixer: Ron Mellegers
Movie Reviews:
- John Chard: I am not a man. I began as one, but now I am becoming more than a man, as you will witness.
Red Dragon is based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas Harris and is directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally. It stars Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Mary-Louise Parker & Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Dante Spinotti is on cinematography and Danny Elfman scores the music.
Red Dragon is a prequel to the hugely successful Silence of the Lambs. The story had already been filmed as Manhunter in 1986 directed by Michael Mann. The signs weren’t particularly good for Red Dragon. The previous year had seen Ridley Scott tackle Silence Of The Lambs follow up, Hannibal, with tepid results. While at the helm here was the director of such fodder as Rush Hour 1&2, and of course Mann’s take on the story is viewed as a grainy and skin itching cult classic. Nice to report then that even tho it’s hardly in the same class as “Lambs,” it’s a willing entertainer that genuinely manages to unease.
Firstly one has to get past the Hannibal Lecter factor to fully enjoy (and dampen expectations) the movie on its own terms. Lecter (Hopkins enjoying himself but going through the motions) is a secondary character. Important? Yes! But still secondary to Norton’s troubled but gifted FBI agent Will Graham and Fiennes bonkers serial killer Francis Dolarhyde (AKA:The Tooth Fairy). Red Dragon is first and foremost a ripping good old detective story, with Ratner and Tally wisely using the bits that made Harris’ novel such a page turning success. They have added their own bits of course {the pre-credit sequence involving Lecter & Graham sets things up perfectly}, but ultimately it’s a loyal enough telling of a gripping and goose flesh inducing story.
The makers have wisely filled the film out with quality performers. Norton underplays Graham nicely, a character unable to stay away from the job that threatens his family, he becomes an easy guy to root for as things start to get troubling. Fiennes too doesn’t go over the top, in great physical shape and with piercing blue eyes, he exudes menace without resorting to being a cackling caricature. Hoffman was a shoe in for a weasel reporter since he does it so well, while Keitel, tho not having to stretch himself, offers up a stoic turn as Jack Crawford. But the main performance, and sadly unheralded, comes from Emily Watson as the blind Reba. With Reba acting as both a romantic and redemptive foil to Dolarhyde’s split-personality, Watson gets the tough gig, and comes up trumps with an affecting turn featuring the right amounts of spunk, sadness and needy tenderness.
It’s a bit too polished to be a nerve shredder, with Ratner unable to give the film an atmospheric feel befitting the darkness at its core. But it does deliver on the promise of not only that opening segment, but also on Harris’ fine procedural narrative. 7/10
- Gimly: This might seriously be the only good thing Brett Ratner has ever done. I don’t even mean movies he’s made, just like, thing he’s done. Ever. In his life. Doesn’t live up to the book, or to _Silence of the Lambs_ (though that second part took me a while to figure out), but I watch this thing semi-regularly and I haven’t gotten sick of it yet.
_Final rating:★★★½ – I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._