Review of Manhunter (1986) by Cameron J — 02 Aug 2011

Who else to kick-off an iconic horror franchise than the guy who went on to do "The Insider", where he even made you take a cigarette company seriously as murderous? Of course, he had the style backing him up, which would explain why, in here he ramped the style, because this really is a bondafide scary story and he wants to get the grit across. Man, if I'm traumatised by anything, its how brutally Michael Mann beats me over the head with this mood. That damages the film in a way that we'll touch on after this cons list. Let's just ignore that forced segway and get to the films flaws, (ah, I did it again) such as a lack of development, slow spots, overdrawn points and the occasional cheesy bit of dialogue. Still, the most notable flaw seems to be the over-stylizing. It's not as bad as everyone says, but the ominous score, cinematography and general look can get overwhelming from time to time, especially during the final act.

Still, through all of its flaws, the film is a generally fascinating suspense thriller, carried by its performances and style, periodically overwhelming though, it may be. The cinematography is elaborate and used in inventive ways to give you the sensation that you are in the scenario as does the entertaining, but still effective and fitting score and soundtrack. Still, this film isn't all suspense. Outside of the tense sequences, the film is kept going by leading man William Petersen, who's quiet sophistication makes his character seem competent and compelling. Someone else worth discussing is the underused, but still solid Brian Cox as the first Hannibal... "Lecktor"? Stupid copyrights. But seriously though, I've only seen so much of Hopkins as Hannibal and can already tell you that he's much better than Brian Cox, but that's not to say that Cox doesn't still capture enough of his character's chilling quietness and subtle insanity that is smoothly blended with his intellegence and sophistication.

Wow, I articulated it up there in the pros paragraph. Talk about over-praise. Anything for an unconventional review. But, enough of that. It's time for the closer. Overall, "Manhunter" has its underwhelming points and its overwhelming points, but is ultimately a well-acted, fascinating suspence thriller with a generally enjoyable style, in spite of its being overwhelming at points.