debbieg-03269 Michael Mann is a stylish filmmaker and his take on the Hannibal Lector saga has his stamp of authority. It is a pity that in the deluge of praise for Silence of the Lambs(which is a great film indeed) this film is almost forgotten. Because it contains some great qualities. The acting is uniformly excellent- Brian Cox infuses Lectar with a different approach than what Hopkins brought later and Will Graham is expertly played by William Peterson. The scenes between the two are really good. Pacing is excellent and the soundtrack is one of the finest mixtures of sound and visuals in all cinema. Is this as good or better than Silence of the Lambs? Some think so. You be the judge.

charles_allen95 I saw Red Dragon when it first came out and loved it. I never even heard of Manhunter until I was about 27 (I'm 34 now). In 2012, Manhunter came on one the Encore networks and I set my DVR to record it. I was sceptical at first, but after watching it, I was hooked. No Anthony Hopkins? So what? Brian Cox's Hannibal I found a bit boring in fact. Sir Anthony might be the true Hannibal, but Edward Norton could've learned a thing or two from William Petersen. Dennis Farina (RIP) became my favorite Jack Crawford and Stephen Lang is way more hip than Philip Seymour Hoffman. As far as the killer is concerned, well.....Tom Noonan I liked better I guess. Although Ralph Fiennes did scare me more in Red Dragon. Both are great movies no doubt, but Red Dragon would've been garbage without Hopkins. One final note before I post this review, Manhunter has a much better soundtrack.

Leofwine_draca Although THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is the film that everyone remembers for Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lector, I find that in most cases the general public don't realise that Hopkins was not the first actor to play Lector. No, that dubious honour goes to Brian Cox, whose brief but powerful turn as Lector in MANHUNTER is just one of the film's many highlights. I didn't really know what to expect when I watched this film; I'd heard that it was good, but little did I realise just HOW good it was. MANHUNTER is one of the very best films about a serial killer I've seen; this is an intelligent, exciting and thought-provoking story which I actually preferred to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in some respects.This is a disturbing film too, although without the grossness of the film that followed it. Here, the violence is left to the imagination, which makes it all the more effective. Usually the police investigations in these films are dry and boring, but here, as the characters doing the investigating are very human, it becomes interesting and watchable. The cast is first rate; especially good is Peterson as the slightly disturbed FBI man haunted by his previous encounters with Cox. He is equalled by the underrated Tom Noonan, who is simply brilliant as the killer, Francis Dollarhyde. Noonan would forever be typecast as a baddie after this performance, but his work here is excellent as he creates a childish, sympathetic man who cannot control the urges or what he does.The strong supporting cast includes Joan Allen (very good) as a blind victim; Dennis Farina as a fellow cop (wait, doesn't he always play that role?), and Stephen Lang as a nerdy reporter who meets a fate worse than death. Michael Mann's assured direction keeps the film believable and interesting at all times; MANHUNTER is exciting when it needs to be and very disturbing at other times (especially that scene with Dollarhyde with the stocking over his head... an image guaranteed to give you nightmares). Odd scenes like the burning wheelchair victim are unexpected and help to keep you on your toes. A rare film that doesn't underestimate the intelligence of the audience, MANHUNTER is a perfectly-made film that should be rewatched in the days of populist stuff like SEVEN and THE BONE COLLECTOR just to remember how good it is.

PimpinAinttEasy Dear Michael Mann, Manhunter is mainly a very stylish police procedural. The array of methods (mostly related to forensic evidence) used by the team of police personnel to identify and track down the killer were simply ingenious. You stayed true to the book and incorporated nearly all of Thomas Harris' ideas. Manhunter's status as a police procedural is punctuated by the fact that you paid a lot of attention to the sets - the police meetings are all located in places characterized by an almost sterile white corporate cleanliness. They are notably different from the sets used during the other scenes. Manhunter is also a really scary horror film. It has one of the creepiest beginnings ever with the grainy point of view shot of the killer as he flashes a light upon a sleeping couple. The scenes inside Dollarhyde's abode were genuinely frightening. It offers more than a glance into the motivations of a serial killer. William Petersen is perfectly cast as a tortured cop struggling with his inner demons. I loved the use of slow motion in the two action scenes. You channeled a bit of De Palma in the scene where Dollarhyde gazes upon his lover and another man. It was a really deft touch. A lot of people complain about the background score. But I thought it was excellent and added another dimension to this film. The film looks gorgeous on Blu Ray. Great job, Michael. Best Regards, Pimpin. (9/10)