Lisa Mitchell

I saw the unedited, original version of Manhunter in 1986 and knew, right then and there, that I had seen a film that would forever live among my favorites. Sixteen years later, Director Brett Ratner set up camp (i.e. lights, cameras; security personal; two of Red Dragon's stars, Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson) on the corner of my street as my toddler and I, (see photo below with Director Ratner) watched him re-make the one film in which nothing needed to change. Not even the score. Where others find the music to be overbearing, I found it haunting and suspenseful, and memorable, much like that heard in The Exorcist. The relatively unknown cast, was chosen with skill. Each major player turned in phenomenal performances. Simply put, it is my opinion that the remake fails epically by comparison. Without further ado, and not too many spoiler moments, I'd like to comment on the performances of both movies’ stars and then encourage the reader to rent Manhunter and see for himself. William Petersen, as FBI profiler Will Graham, is intense, sometimes gritty and others, sublime. Ed Norton's Will Graham was too young, too one dimensional and not at all believable in this role. , Graham's superior at the FBI, is convincing and works very well with Peterson. Harvey Keitel's Jack Crawford did not impress. Joan Allen’s, Reba, is nothing short of stellar. If I hadn't known better, I would have, without a doubt, thought she was blind. When speaking, she artfully hides her actual vision by looking blank in the general direction but never focusing in. I remember thinking how hard that must be to do. Emily Watson's Reba was just pitiful. Her character appears weak, her expression is just blank and her performance, as a whole, was extremely sub-standard and disappointing. Serial killer, , aka "The Tooth Fairy,” played by , delivers a spot on portrayal of a dissociative sociopath and includes the very rare experience of empathy and attachment later in the movie, At that moment, I believe the audience forgets he's a killer.. He looks so genuinely vulnerable and leaves you wondering if things would have gone differently for him at an earlier stage in his life. Ralph Fiennes, however, is not at all menacing in my opinion, doesn't appear to be wickedly clever. He bored me to tears. Lastly, the original Hannibal Lecktor, played by forerunner Brian Cox, is as good as it gets. You can cut the tension in the air whenever he is in a scene which is not often enough. His pathology is so deep; he's manipulative, calculatingly brilliant and quite menacing....something Ralph Fiennes just did not pull off. Cox brought this complex character to life and made it his own. That’s where it remains his to this day. Manhunter is clearly the better film in every way. It has poignant moments around almost every corner. Reba’s “seeing” an anesthetized tiger is just one of those. She allows the vet to place her hand by its mouth to feel its breath, convincing her it was alive. Then, with a fascination hard to describe, she drapes herself over this man-eater and uses senses other than sight to soak it all in. She is mesmerized by the intensity of the moment. We watch, transfixed, as she hears his heart beat and strokes the beasts’ fur. Dollerhyde’s voyeuristic reaction is shared by the audience here. You’re left feeling jealous of her handicap as you know what she experiences in that moment is not attainable for those with sight.. It is a very moving, seductive scene. Good stuff, Michael Mann. 4.5k views ·