Before the opening credits roll, the scene is set whereby we see how it came to be that Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal was caught and put behind bars. The man responsible for this is FBI Investigator Will Graham (Edward Norton) who retires shortly after. However, it doesn't take long before Will is lured back into action when the FBI seeks his help in the investigation of a serious of murders carried out by a new serial killer known as The Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes). Just like in Silence of the Lambs', the Investigator enlists the help of Hannibal Lecter to catch the killer.
Anthony Hopkins gives another effortless performance as Hannibal. Although he is looking too old to play the part in a prequel, he has already made the part his own and it would not be right to have anyone else replace him. Although the audience has grown to know about Hannibal's ways, there is still an element of unpredictability in his character which makes him all the more sinister and dangerous. He is also highly astute in one scene when he returns to his cell, he notices gloves in the pockets of a supposed cleaner which leads him to work out that a search and some tampering has been carried out during his absence.
There is no doubting the quality of the rest of the cast -I've always found Edward Norton a very likeable actor to watch and Ralph Fiennes intriguingly manages to show the two sides of the serial killer's character: on the one hand he is completely mad, running around naked with a huge tattoo on his back and buttocks or eating a William Blake painting; and on the other hand, he encourages sympathy from the audience in his tentative relationship with a blind colleague (Emily Watson who conveys the character's naivety and vulnerability with great conviction).
The ending of the film tying in with the arrival of a new FBI agent Clarice Starling is neat but too obvious and not really necessary as the majority of the audience already know this story to be the prequel to Silence of the Lambs'. However, it does serve to invite you to watch the latter again!
This adaptation of Thomas Harris' prequel is an entertaining one but is not as explicitly grotesque and is lacking the black humour of Hannibal'. Perhaps the most disturbing scene is where The Tooth Fairy tortures a journalist (Phillip Seymour Hoffman reduced to his underwear). Nevertheless, you can see this one coming as the journalist involved is a slimy one and one can't help but feel that his fate is deserved!
Although not as powerful or memorable as Silence of the Lambs', fans of the Hannibal series so far will not be disappointed. I found this film very entertaining.
Anthony Hopkins gives another effortless performance as Hannibal. Although he is looking too old to play the part in a prequel, he has already made the part his own and it would not be right to have anyone else replace him. Although the audience has grown to know about Hannibal's ways, there is still an element of unpredictability in his character which makes him all the more sinister and dangerous. He is also highly astute in one scene when he returns to his cell, he notices gloves in the pockets of a supposed cleaner which leads him to work out that a search and some tampering has been carried out during his absence.
There is no doubting the quality of the rest of the cast -I've always found Edward Norton a very likeable actor to watch and Ralph Fiennes intriguingly manages to show the two sides of the serial killer's character: on the one hand he is completely mad, running around naked with a huge tattoo on his back and buttocks or eating a William Blake painting; and on the other hand, he encourages sympathy from the audience in his tentative relationship with a blind colleague (Emily Watson who conveys the character's naivety and vulnerability with great conviction).
The ending of the film tying in with the arrival of a new FBI agent Clarice Starling is neat but too obvious and not really necessary as the majority of the audience already know this story to be the prequel to Silence of the Lambs'. However, it does serve to invite you to watch the latter again!
This adaptation of Thomas Harris' prequel is an entertaining one but is not as explicitly grotesque and is lacking the black humour of Hannibal'. Perhaps the most disturbing scene is where The Tooth Fairy tortures a journalist (Phillip Seymour Hoffman reduced to his underwear). Nevertheless, you can see this one coming as the journalist involved is a slimy one and one can't help but feel that his fate is deserved!
Although not as powerful or memorable as Silence of the Lambs', fans of the Hannibal series so far will not be disappointed. I found this film very entertaining.