Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Brett Ratner
Producers: Dino De Laurentiis, Martha De Laurentiis
Screenplay: Ted Tally, based on the novel by Thomas Harris
Cinematography: Dante Spinotti
Music: Danny Elfman
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Why?
On a certain level, I can understand coming out with a new version of some crusty old Hollywood classic that (gasp!) might be in the archaic format of black-and-white. Or a recent foreign film, so that subtitle-phobic viewers would no longer have to expend mental energy by reading. But why remake a movie that's only 16 years old, and is already in English? As the saying goes, if you have to ask the question…
It's all about greed. Make no mistake, that is the only reason why Red Dragon exists. It has nothing to do with the filmmakers wanting to "complete" the Hannibal Lecter trilogy with Anthony Hopkins in the key role. It has nothing to do with the filmmakers wanting to "update" an already-filmed story. It's about trying to cash in at the box office. The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal were money makers, so producer Dino De Laurentiis, never one to ignore the smell of lucre, has struck again. And don't believe those rumors that this is absolutely, unquestionably the final time we'll see Hopkins as Hannibal. If there's enough green involved, he'll be back.
One of the most galling things about Red Dragon is that it's an inferior re-hash of Michael Mann's Manhunter, which was released in 1986. What's wrong with the pre-Silence Manhunter? It features Brian Cox, not Anthony Hopkins, as Dr. Lecter (or Lektor, as the name was spelled at the time). And, while I'm not one of Mann's biggest supporters (I often find him to be pretentious), at least he has a sense of style. Brett Rush Hour Ratner, Red Dragon's navigator, wouldn't know the meaning of that word if he looked it up in a dictionary. Red Dragon is done in a painfully mechanical, by-the-book manner. Scenes are assembled to move the plot from point A to point B. There's no atmosphere. No tension. Flat performances. All of these problems are rightfully laid at the feet of the man in charge.
Want an example? Recall Jodie Foster's descent into Lecter's hell near the beginning of The Silence of the Lambs. For that scene, Jonathan Demme flexed his creative muscles, using lighting, sound, point-of-view, and everything else at his disposal to ratchet the tension up to a nearly unbearable level. We have a similar scene in Red Dragon, where lead character Will Graham (played by Edward Norton) takes the same journey. Here, he just walks down the hall and sits in a chair that's waiting outside of Hannibal's cell. It's pedestrian and anti-climactic.
Red Dragon begins in 1980 Baltimore, and, during a short pre-credits sequence, shows how Graham captured Lecter to end his murderous streak. Fast-forward several years. There's a new serial killer on the loose. The press have dubbed him "The Tooth Fairy" (due to his propensity for leaving bite marks on his butchered victims), and he has thus far slaughtered two families. In reality, he's mild-mannered Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes) – but we don't find that out until a little later. Will, currently living quietly retired in Florida, is brought onto the case by his ex-boss, Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel), despite the concerns of his wife, Molly (Mary-Louise Parker). One of Will's first moves is to consult his old adversary, Lecter, in an attempt to gain some insight into The Tooth Fairy's mindset. Then the hunt is on.
With a cast like this, Red Dragon should have been spectacular, not mediocre. Yet there's not a standout performance to be found. Hopkins, so chilling in The Silence of the Lambs (and still capable of raising nape hairs in the sequel), is more fatuous than frightening. Edward Norton and Harvey Keitel sleepwalk through their parts. Ralph Fiennes is fine, but his work is overshadowed by Tom Noonan's indelible version of Dolarhyde in Manhunter. In fact, Fiennes is not even the best cinematic psycho of the year – that honor goes to Robin Williams in One Hour Photo. Emily Watson (as Dolarhyde's blind co-worker and love interest, Reba), Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman (as the tabloid reporter Freddy Lounds) give nice turns, but their parts are small, affording them limited screen time.
Like most motion pictures whose sole reason for existing is the almighty dollar, Red Dragon is poorly conceived and poorly executed. The film's attempts to replicate the Clarice/Hannibal mind games of The Silence of the Lambs with Will and the good doctor fizzle. There's no connection between these two characters. They're one dimensional puppets mouthing lines of Ted Tally's dialogue. And the chase of Dolarhyde doesn't build to anything (except a climax that feels forced and tacked-on). There may be a suspenseful story to be found in Red Dragon, but Brett Ratner is not the man to bring it to the screen. The proof is in the print.
© 2002 James Berardinelli