Red Dragon

(2002, Dir.: Brett Ratner, 2002)

Not a bad film, though not nearly a great one. Part of the problem is that it is largely the same story as in Silence of the Lambs--killer on the loose, FBI agent needs Lecter to help crack the case. Even the transformation theme of the killer is the same. The one major difference that makes Silence a superior story (and thus, perhaps inevitably, a superior movie) is that in Red Dragon Will Graham has something concrete to protect: his family. Clarice Starling, on the other hand, has no such interests, and so the psychological dynamic between her and Lecter can be much more intense, more personal. That connection never develops here because the relationship between Graham and Lecter remains much more adversarial (not surprising, considering the way the film begins). Ratner is at least somewhat handcuffed by a story that is not as character-oriented as Silence was.

Ultimately, the middle third of the movie is much better than the first or last thirds (which are filled with too many ham-handed lines or cliched moments), and the Dolarhyde-Reba relationship is well played by Fiennes and Watson. Norton is still a superior performer although it seemed he was sometimes fighting his lines.

In the end, the faux climax is superior to the actual climax. Someday someone will realize it's okay to stop there.