{"id":2865,"date":"2007-03-30T13:38:10","date_gmt":"2007-03-30T20:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2865"},"modified":"2021-01-17T19:33:48","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T02:33:48","slug":"manhunter-1986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2865","title":{"rendered":"Manhunter (1986)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;It&#8217;s just you and me now, sport &#8212; and I&#8217;m going to find you, goddamn it!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Manhunter-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Manhunter-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22587\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Manhunter-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Manhunter-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Manhunter-Poster.jpg 345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen semi-retired FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen) is hired to track down a serial killer nicknamed &#8220;The Tooth Fairy&#8221; (Tom Noonan), he seeks advice from notorious psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cat-and-Mouse<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>Psychopaths<\/li>\n<li>Race-Against-Time<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFive years before Jonathan Demme directed <em>Silence of the Lambs<\/em> (1991), Michael Mann released this highly stylized, under-the-radar version of Thomas Harris&#8217;s novel <em>Red Dragon<\/em>. While both films remain taut, well-acted thrillers, I&#8217;ll admit I prefer this earlier one &#8212; and its cult following reveals that I&#8217;m not the only one who feels this way. The performances in <em>Manhunter<\/em> are uniformly excellent. Unlike Ted Levine&#8217;s freakish &#8220;Buffalo Bill&#8221; in <em>SOTL<\/em>, Tom Noonan manages to portray &#8220;the Tooth Fairy&#8221; as a psychotic soul who is haunted by the desire for normalcy. Brian Cox&#8217;s performance as Hannibal Lecktor is a masterpiece of understated acting &#8212; the scene in which he coolly makes a call from his cell to find out Graham&#8217;s home address is one of the most chilling in cinematic history. And while Jodie Foster deserved her Oscar for playing Clarice Starling in <em>SOTL<\/em>, William Peterson&#8217;s approach here is equally viable. <\/p>\n<p>In addition to fine performances, <em>Manhunter <\/em>is a visual masterpiece, with highly stylized camera angles, sparse geometric sets, and gorgeous, hue-drenched cinematography. Michael Rubini&#8217;s memorable, heavily synthesized score &#8212; while clearly marking <em>Manhunter<\/em> as a product of the &#8217;80s &#8212; adds to the overall stylized effect, relentlessly propelling this race-again-time thriller to its effective climax. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>William Petersen as the driven FBI agent<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Graham2.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Graham2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2859\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tom Noonan&#8217;s sympathetic performance as the deranged serial killer<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Lecter2.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Lecter2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2862\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joan Allen as Reba, Lecktor&#8217;s blind co-worker<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Allen.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Allen.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2861\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Brian Cox as the &#8220;original&#8221; Hannibal Lecktor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/cOX.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/cOX.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2860\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective use of stylized sets, camera angles, mirrors, and shadows<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/sET.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/sET.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2864\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Evocative, hue-drenched cinematography by Dante Spinotti<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/bLUE.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/bLUE.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2863\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Michael Rubini&#8217;s synthesized score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. This film &#8212; which has developed an underground cult following over the years &#8212; is a satisfying, well-made adaption of Thomas Harris&#8217;s <em>Red Dragon<\/em>, and should be seen by all film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0091474\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s175manhunt.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/72683.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just you and me now, sport &#8212; and I&#8217;m going to find you, goddamn it!&#8221; Synopsis: When semi-retired FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen) is hired to track down a serial killer nicknamed &#8220;The Tooth Fairy&#8221; (Tom Noonan), he seeks advice from notorious psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cat-and-Mouse Detectives and Private Eyes Murder Mystery Psychopaths Race-Against-Time Serial Killers Review: Five years before Jonathan Demme directed Silence of the Lambs (1991), Michael Mann&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2865\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2865"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63975,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865\/revisions\/63975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}