Review of Hannibal (2001) by Anton H — 01 Mar 2010

This is a well-paced Drama/Horror film that should have been taken more seriously.

Most of the complaints I've read about Hannibal regard the graphic, at times maybe absurd, violence and gore. The truth is that the violent content in the film is well balanced between shocker scenes and rising suspense. And of course, something has to be said about the famous "Brain" scene, in which a man is fed his own brain as a punishment of sorts: Not only is that a big-bang finale in the evil behind Hannibal Lecter, it's also right out of Dante's Inferno, as is the "La Vita Nuova" opera scene (which was composed especially for the film).

The story of Hannibal is simply delicious, as it was a novel begging to be made into a film. Similar to The Silence of the Lambs, you actually have four main plots (accompanied by several subplots) occurring simultaneously: Agent Starling searching for Hannibal Lecter while dealing with her own demons regarding her history with him; Mason Verger thirsty for Dr. Lecter's blood in a vengeful scheme to kidnap him and make him suffer unimaginably; Inspector Pazzi chasing after a $3,000,000 reward in Dr. Lecter's apprehension after realizing the mysterious 'Dr. Fell' (pun obviously intended) is in fact the infamous cannibal fugitive; and Hannibal Lecter himself, seemingly one step ahead of everybody in his genius.

For a while, David Fincher (Se7en, The Game) was considered for a director, which I honestly think would still have been a better choice than Ridley Scott. However, Scott seemed to take on this new type of story quite well, offering something fresh to the Hannibal Lecter franchise. I see this as neither a sequel to Silence of the Lambs, nor a third installment in the trilogy... I believe Hannibal stands alone as its own unique film.