Review of Red Dragon (2002) by Christian V — 17 May 2012

This is not the same film as The Silence of the Lambs. It's equally good, though, and dare I say even better. Incredibly underrated, it's a superb film with more great character interaction than the previous- which probably had some of the best character interaction in and of itself.

Protagonist Clarice Starling is replaced in this film by the exceptional detective Will Graham, and our bad guy Jame Gumb is switched in favor for Francis Dolarhyde. In both of these cases, I find myself preferring the lesser known characters better.

Francis Dolarhyde is an exceptional character, whose life is filled with tragedy, but also is threatening and made into something of a genius. While still having most of the relatable nature of Clarice Starling, Will Graham also is a truly believable protagonist in that he deserves to be on this case.

Don't get me wrong, I love the characters in the previous installment, but these are better. Also, when Graham has a discussion with Dr. Lecter, it's truly a battle of brilliant minds, and if either of them makes the slightest misstep, they could lose what they need most.

Overall, don't watch one or the other of this and The Silence of the Lambs, check out both. I'd skip Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, as the two crime thrillers from this series are definitely their best installments.