Review of Red Dragon (2002) by Riren — 05 Feb 2007

When you're in Hannibal Lecter's universe, it's sometimes too easy to think all the dark atmosphere comes easy. Red Dragon actually works very hard and does the best job at the true uncomfortable yet tantalizing feel in a 'Lecter' flick since Silence of the Lambs.

While a few moments are almost cartoonishly out of place, and a few plot threads only make true sense if you read the book (the Toothy Fairy killer's psychosis began when he was adopted by a violent old woman who so traumatized him that he represses almost everything and needs identities to deal with his feelings), it's quite a good movie.

Edward Norton carries the helm so that we don't miss Anthony Hopkins too much, and Hopkins does appear often enough to satiate us, though thankfully not too much to completely steal this movie from the real killer like he did in Silence of the Lambs.

Hopkins is who we came to the theatre to see, after all.