When I set out to write this review, I thought I was watching Red Dragon for the first time. Turns out I have seen it before, but completely forgotten about it. That point is key: this film has little about it that makes it memorable.
Red Dragon was released in 2002, and is actually a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Hannibal (2001). The film is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris and directed by Brett Ratner. Like many prequels before it (The Phantom Menace, The Hobbit trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine… the list is seemingly endless), the film fails to live up to the great heights set out by its predecessor. I think there is a definite reason why I forgot I had even seen this film – nothing sticks in the mind. The Silence of the Lambs is a classic with so many memorable moments (“hello, Clarice…”). The second film, Hannibal, is less of a classic, but I will never forget Gary Oldman’s character being eaten by pigs (it haunts me to this day). Red Dragon on the other hand has nothing that sticks in my mind and I will probably forget about it again after I finish writing this.
The film centers on Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), everyone’s favourite cannibal from the first two films, and a new character, FBI dectective Will Graham (Edward Norton). The two are forced to work together to solve a serial killer’s rampage. If it sounds like a similar plot to the first film, that’s because it is. That might be one reason why I originally found the film so forgettable, as it rehashes plot beats that have been done before and, unfortunately for this film, done better.
Red Dragon opens in 1980 with an orchestra playing, attended by Lecter (who is sporting a horrible little ponytail that is actually a crime against nature). One man is playing his flute badly, and this attracts the attention of Lecter, who punishes the poor performer by turning him into his next meal. This meal is served to guests at a fancy dinner party hosted by Lecter, the kind that I always wished I could have attended (and still wish now, obviously minus the cannibal elements). Some of the people that Lecter invites to dinner are awful like he is – one of the members of the orchestra is missing and one man says it is a “relief”, because his playing was awful. What a jerk! T
Anyway, Lecter’s dinner goes down a treat with his guests, and they all leave uneaten. Enter Will Graham, who is hot on the trail of a cannibal serial killer. Ironically, he discusses this case with his friend Lecter, who offers Graham some advice that helps him to solve the case. We as an audience already have the information that Lecter is in fact a cannibal, and the very one that Will is looking for, so the tension of this opening is derived from the fact that Graham does not know this and we are waiting for him to find out.
Upon Graham’s inevitable discovery of his friend’s secret, Lecter attempts to kill him, Graham survives, and the two friends become enemies. A tale as old as time. I’m not counting any of this as spoilers because it all takes place within the first ten minutes of the film and sets us up for the real meat of the story (does that count as a pun?) which is Graham having to work together with his former friend to track down another serial killer called the Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes).
After watching the film for twenty minutes I remained unimpressed. Nothing that I was watching was overtly bad, but I had also seen nothing groundbreaking or particularly interesting. In the beginning there are a few scenes designed to wring tension out of the audience but they rely on old cliches – the slow walk up the dark steps, turning on the light to find a room covered in blood, all accompanied by swelling strings reaching their screaming crescendo when the murder scene is brazenly revealed. Ugh, yawn.
To the film’s credit, the aforementioned murder scenes are fittingly gruesome. I won’t go into too much detail about them, because if you are going to watch the film, they are better left unspoiled (especially Philip Seymour Hoffman’s.) There is also some on-the-nose symbolism (ooh, Will Graham is standing in front of a shattered mirror because he’s shattered, get it?) and some annoying jump scares (this film came out in 2002 so I suppose they hadn’t quite been done to death yet). There is not much else to say about the way the film is shot. There are no scenes that took me by surprise and nothing particularly stylish about the way the film is made. The only other thing to mention about the cinematography is the way the conversations between Graham and Lecter are shot as though they are talking directly to us. What they say is as much for the audience as it is for each other. I thought that was a good creative choice.
So what of the story? Well, it does have some compelling parts. The scramble to catch the Tooth Fairy has some interesting puzzles that must be solved. However, the film seems to forget halfway through that it’s trying to be scary and just becomes a rather generic crime thriller.
And now to the acting. Edward Norton is fine as Will Graham. I can never work out if I’m a big fan of him or not, but if you’re on the fence, this isn’t the film that will help you make up your mind. It’s not entirely his fault – it’s the writing – but Graham is an incredibly bland character. He is overshadowed so immensely by Hopkins and Fiennes, so much so that the film always grinds to a halt whenever there are scenes focused solely on him.
Speaking of Hopkins, he is in fine form as Lecter. He has this strange, scary way of talking, enunciating each syllable to really draw you into what he’s saying. Then there is his movement, which is almost robotic, showing us he’s not quite human. Unfortunately Hopkins does not get as much interesting material to work with in this film as in the others, but what he does get, he definitely makes the most of.
Finally, the scenes in Red Dragon with Ralph Fiennes’ Tooth Fairy, the murderous alias of a man named Francis Dolarhyde are the best. Fiennes is great at playing these more unhinged, unsettling kind of characters (I’m not only thinking of his iconic turn as Lord Voldermort, but his role as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List). We find out that he is the victim of horrible abuse from his grandmother, which has given him a murderous alternate personality known as the Red Dragon. The film gives Fiennes quite a lot of interesting things to do with his character, one of which is his relationship with Reba McClane (Emily Watson). It is this that showcases Fiennes’ range, and the humanity he is able to bring to the character. Dolarhyde is a brutal murderer but Fiennes imbues him with a strong vulnerability. We should not be glad that he is getting closer to Reba, but we are, because Fiennes makes us care for him, feel sympathy for him. He is tormented by the abuses of his past. He does not want to go through with the murders but he must, because there is a twisted part of him borne of abuse that is compelling him to murder so that he can “change”. Fiennes is the clear standout of the film.
So, with all that said, should you watch Red Dragon? If you have seen the other films in the series, yes. You’ll finish off the series and you likely have at least somewhat of an interest in Hannibal’s character. If you have not seen any of the other films, skip this. It won’t hold much interest for you. Go watch The Silence of the Lambs instead, and enjoy a nice Chianti as you do.
BEST BITS
– Ralph Fiennes.
– The way Lecter and Graham’s conversations are framed so they are addressing the viewer.
– The opening titles are a really demented scrapbook created by Dolarhyde and they are very visually interesting.
– The prison that Lecter is kept in is suitably strange. The exercise apparatus that Lecter must use is like something out of a sci-fi prison.
WORST BITS
– The slow pacing. We really don’t need to watch Edward Norton slowly climb a tree.
– Harvey Keitel seems not to care much for his role in the film.
FINAL RATING: 6/10
