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Reviews
Strange Illusion (1945)
traditional old mystery with modern undercurrents
I enjoyed this movie despite it's weaknesses, which at times it feels like a "B" movie technically. For example, at one point the main character is watching from the sanitarium window a car exiting the driveway but his head is not following the movement of the car properly which means it was a matte shot and it looks odd. Also the mother sometimes looks the same or younger than her daughter.
However, my interest was held from beginning to the end. I cared enough about the characters to want to see how they came out of it all.
The movie is in the category of a traditional mystery/drama, but the son's obsession with destroying his mother's fiancee gives the film an interesting suggestive undercurrent. Whether this was intentional, or just viewing it from a modern perspective, I can't say.
Manhunter (1986)
Far better than Red Dragon, nearly as good as Silence
While Anthony Hopkins will always be the only Hannibal Lecter, the best Hannibal Lecter movie may well have been Michael Mann's Manhunter. In Silence of the Lambs Jodie Foster's character, FBI agent Clarice Starling, is warned by her boss not to let Hannibal Lecter get inside her head. While Lecter is able to bribe Starling into revealing some painful personal truths, he never does get into her head and there's never any feeling that she's ever lost control of herself or her emotions. In Silence Lecter's menace is more from Hopkin's physical presence than the mental games he plays. In Michael Mann's Manhunter the emphasis is on the psychological, in fact, it dominates the movie. Not only does Lecter and the serial killer get inside the head of the FBI agent, played by William Petersen, he lets them inside his head. Lecter in Manhunter, while playing a smaller part is creepier.
I should also add, I feel sorry for anyone who sees the recent Red Dragon movie before seeing Manhunter. Manhunter is an original, gripping, unique movie, while Red Dragon, while competent, is cookie-cutter Hollywood.