Review of Red Dragon (2002) by Juan C — 04 Jun 2011

Ratner sucks again in an appallingly bad ramake of Manhunter.

Musings circa 2006:

Ratner the only true hack I can currently think of. I was so disappoint when I heard he was taking over X-Men. Strangely AA was offered this but declined. His hackness goes beyond the Rush Hour series and I base most of his hackness on Red Dragon. So inferior to .it is a travesty. Featuring CSIs Gil Grishom in pink hot pants, no less. Id suggest Brian Cox is an equal of Anthony Hopkins Hannibal, although many points are lost for Anthony post-Silence of the Lambs.

Three things in particular bugged me about the remake. The first is the way in which the reporter is murdered. In the original a burning wheelchair is pushed down the ramp of an underground carpark. The attendant attention to reading his newspaper is broken, hearing a squeaking noise, which sounds as if it is coming nearer and nearer. He looks up and a flaming wheelchair is heading in his direction. Cut. In Red Dragon a burning wheelchair flies past a sign featuring the word Hospital and continues its way to town. During daylight no less. Umm, that is SO silly for SO many reasons. Foremost, who is witnessing this burning wheelchair fly past the hospital?

Changing an important scene related to the death of one character is also woefully handled. I forget the specifics but this scene allows the police to be duped and for Hannibal to reappear at the protagonists house for an extended finale in the film. This didnt happen in the original. In fact the final scenes were very personal, with no need for cheap shocks, where Gil, wife, and child felt much release from the situation. Hope existed that the marriage may be saved.

The third is the portrayal of the central, disturbed villain. In the original he is an ugly man with a cleft pallet. Red Dargon has Ralph Finnes being a pretty boy who is apparently ugly with his cleft pallet. To create character he hears his mother in poorly created scenes, and even has to go through the indignity of eating a painting. Could things be more literal?