A truly amazing film. This was one of Michael Mann’s first films, after his brilliant first movie: Thief, Manhunter shows an evolution of Mann’s style. Mann is a genius and despite a few missteps in his career, he’s given us masterpieces such as The Insider (one of my all-time favorite movies) and Heat among many others. Manhunter really shows the skill that Mann was developing and has a lot of his trademarks he would later be known for.
The film is actually an adaptation of Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon which is a story of the infamous Hannibal Lector set before Silence of the Lambs. Manhunter is actually a better version of this novel than Red Dragon (2002) which starred Ed Norton and Anthony Hopkins. I’d even put it up there with Silence of the Lambs. In some ways, it even tops that Oscar winner. Manhunter is that great.
Brian Cox plays Hannibal Lector here and he’s so slimy and creepy, he’s just awesome in the role. There’s no denying Hopkins portrayal was iconic and oscar-worthy but Brian Cox’s interpretation holds its own and fits perfectly with the world created in Manhunter.
I especially loved the synthesizer-drenched soundtrack, Tom Noonan’s portrayal of the demented Red Dragon killer, a nice supporting role by always-tough-talker Dennis Farina, and the lead William Petersen who is surprisingly excellent here.
If you want to see a thriller taut with tension and suspense, look no further than Manhunter. It’s so good!