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It seems that everyone is falling into 2 categories, those who think Red Dragon is great and those that know that Manhunter is far better. I am of the latter opinion.

While this latest production had no real flaws, it just didnt make what it was aiming at or should have been. This stems from 2 things. First, Brett Ratner is just not a sophisticated enough director to actually handle this as a dark psychological thriller (this the man who directed Rush Hour 1 & 2, both great films just leads to no surprises). Second, Hannibal Lectre has now been made into too much of a panto-villan to have any real power in his dialogues.

Ratner's directing is smooth and uses nice rich colours. But every mechanism for suspense and thrill seems to have been done before and you never feel that you are seeing something for the first time. The pace is too monotonous. While a good pace, it just doesnt fluctuate to empahsize what is happening in the plot. (Michael Manns directing around the discovery of the letter in Hannibals cell was superb and so gripping). Ratners direction turns this dark plot that should be as disturbing yet thrilling as Silence of the Lambs, into not much more than a popcorn movie for casual enjoyment.

As for Hannibal... well. Much as I love Hopkins playing this role we have just become too comfortable with him (I thought that was why Hannibal was rather a good film). One cant help but love Lecter's hyper-astute and intelligent mind, and dare I say it charm. But we have been allowed to grow too easy of his insane and psychotic nature. While I watched Red Dragon, the whole audience would laugh far to much at Lecter's dark humour. When watching Silence of the Lambs, while being vastly entertained by Hopkins' delicious dialogues with Foster, I was always nervous of him. In Dragon this was never the case. I think Ratner over used this, and allowed Hopkins to rather 'ham it up' for the audience. All of this leads to a film all too easily enjoyable (which entertaining is not necessarily so), and not a film dragging you into the disturbing and haunting world of insane killers.

This film seriously lacks the depth needed to do justice to its topic. Ratner didnt have the pedigree or the experience to pull this one off.

Sorry, only a 6/10 from me (wish it was 8)