Loaded with suspense...Hopkins, Norton, and Fiennes all deliver performances above par...
Red Dragon (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:183
Fresh:125
Rotten:58
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Competently made, but everything is a bit too familiar.
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, RED DRAGON stars Edward Norton as Will Graham, the intuitive FBI agent who captured the notorious Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). When another... Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, RED DRAGON stars Edward Norton as Will Graham, the intuitive FBI agent who captured the notorious Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). When another killer, dubbed "the Tooth Fairy," begins a series of bizarre, seemingly random killings, the now-retired Graham reluctantly agrees to aid in the investigation. In order to get further into the mind set of the murderer, Graham consults the imprisoned Lecter, who offers cryptic commentary that the determined agent must decipher. However, the Tooth Fairy himself, Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), is also in contact with the infamous epicurean, and the case soon develops into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, with Lecter deviously playing both sides. Rather than attempting to remake MANHUNTER--Michael Mann's 1986 adaptation of RED DRAGON starring William L. Petersen as Graham and Brian Cox as Lecter--or recreate the monster-movie atmosphere of HANNIBAL, director Brett Ratner wisely chooses to focus on the character-driven specifics of the first Hannibal Lecter novel. As in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, the unblinking Hopkins makes the most out of his screen time as the eloquent yet terrifying former forensic psychologist. Norton is excellently understated as the talented investigator, while Fiennes explores the full range of his conflicted character, from a sensitive man-child to a methodical psychopath. These key performances are enhanced by strong supporting turns by Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harvey Keitel, and Mary-Louise Parker. Ratner's capable direction extends to his choice of crew, which includes SILENCE OF THE LAMBS screenwriter Ted Tally and production designer Kristen Zea, as well as MANHUNTER cinematographer Dante Spinotti. This collection of talent combines to create an engaging and eerie thriller that brings the Hopkins-as-Lecter trilogy full circle. [More]
Starring: Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson
Starring: Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary Louise Parker, Anthony Heald, Ken Leung, Frankie Faison
Director: Brett Ratner
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriter: Ted Tally
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis, Martha De Laurentiis
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Red Dragon
Hannibal Lecter has long been a hot marketing product, but `Red Dragon' turns him into a veritable tchotchke.
Director Brett Ratner gives us a sumptuously mounted film that is rarely less than intensely creepy, and which boasts the kind of dream cast that only money can buy.
Hopkins has never been subtle, but recently he's become repugnantly lazy-- it's a smug, whorish performance playing to the cheap seats and devouring that recycled scenery.
An exercise in inevitability that in a few passages exudes an enthralling but nonetheless largely familial creepiness, Red Dragon is a serviceable thriller, the lesser of the three Hannibal Lecter movies.
What is brave about Red Dragon is that it reasserts Lecter’s potency as a screen villain.
Using much of [Manhunter]'s sequencing and dialogue, the inclusion of Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Lecter isn't enough to caste Red Dragon as an entity independent from its retail potential.
This film puts the series back on track, reigning in the operatic gore of Hannibal and returning to the intense psychology of Silence of the Lambs.
Every time Hopkins spills out a lofty intellectual portent or serves up a defiant sneer, we can hear the faint ‘ka-ching!’ in his agent’s office.
The Tooth Fairy inserts mirror pieces in his victim's eyes. That way he can spin them from the ceiling for a disco ball effect! Fabulous!
Perhaps the whole serial killer genre is now too much like Hannibal himself; too predictable and conventional for true terror to emerge.
An overly stimulating but pedestrian frightfest effort that leaves one wanting more out of this rudimentary and clueless serial killer drama.
[Fiennes] manages to distill the Tooth Fairy's mangled narcissistic psyche to a mere thimbleful of whispered lines.
Satisfyingly wraps up the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, creating a whole that is, ultimately, far greater than some of its parts.
Latest News for Red Dragon
February 08, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Comedy vs. Cannibals at the Multiplexes
Moviegoers get to choose between a master comic taking on three roles or a diabolical screen villain in his early years when they walk into their local multiplex this weekend. More...
October 20, 2006:
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It's time once again for another installment of "Early & Enthusiastic Amateur Film Critic," a regular series of articles over at AICN. This time the test screening... More...
June 05, 2006:
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Frankly I'd rather read a book about Scientology than a "test-screening preview review," but my job is to share the scoopage, so click right here if you'd like to read... More...
May 25, 2006:
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