Review of Red Dragon (1965) by Ben D — 30 Sep 2012

After recently rewatching Manhunter (and the other Lecter films) it is very difficult not to compare this to the previous version. The feeling you end up with is of watching something very familiar (and not just because you've seen the first version) - familiar because Manhunter was so successful that it infiltrated and altered the way Hollywood made serial killer films. As a consequence nothing here is fresh or original.

That said, there are some things to enjoy. Brett Ratner's direction is solid but not spectacular. Ralph Fiennes commits himself with gusto, but compared to Tom Noonan's Tooth Fairy he is over-the-top. In fact, the biggest problem with this is that it is all over-egged. There is no subtety. There is no chance to enjoy the creepiness, the menace, or the mood. And the final 10 minutes collapse into inanity.