Review of Hannibal Rising (2007) by Bob L — 22 Mar 2010

Good film which shows the growth of a boy into a killer. However, it feels like a huge gap between this Hannibal and Hopkins incarnation. "Lambs" etc.(even Manhunter) had Lector as a man who could dissect you physically and psychologically with a twitch of an eyebrow and make you know it, where as this portrays him as someone who just acquires the skills to take revenge, like any actioner.

In fact I'd say that this has none of the horror or character of previous, it is an action flick designed to tick boxes- we see him as a medical student (not quite doctor though), learning stealth above brutality, his first forays into cannibalism, and where he develops the taste for the cruel, but there is very little of the Hopkins style menace (and no clue as to where he lost his accent and became British).

There is even a horribly contrived shot in the middle where a samurai mask is a token representation of the muzzle we know from later. Generally shot well with a nice historical backdrop though, covering the Russian Front .

Worth watching as a film in it's own right, but doesn't quite join the dots as was intended when it was made.