Review of Manhunter (1986) by Ross B — 14 May 2013
Michael Mann directs the first depiction of Hannibal Lecter on film that is a surprisingly good cop movie. Will Graham (William Petersen), a former criminal profiler for the FBI is lured back by an old colleague Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) to help him catch a serial killer that they have internally dubbed The Tooth Fairy.
Graham though is hesitant to get back in the chase for fear that the dark feelings he feels while getting in the mind of the serial killers he tracks will resurface again. His last case was the capture of a notorious cannibal killer named Dr.
Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox). Lecter seems to be able to get inside Will's head yet Will needs him to help him get back into the "mindset". Mann creates a tight and sharp thriller that is able to be scary without showing much violence.
Cox's Lecter is much more subdued than what Hopkins would provide for the role 5 years later but it is still a compelling performance in the little screen time he has. The story is mostly focused on Graham and Petersen does a great job of capturing the tortured mind who is addicted to catching the bad guy.
A good film that is overshadowed by the following films focused more on Lecter, this is still a very worthwhile film to check out.
This review of Manhunter (1986) was written by Ross B on 14 May 2013.
Manhunter has generally received positive reviews.
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