Entertainment
40 Years Ago, The Actual Best Hannibal Lecter Film Was Released, and It’s Not ‘The Silence of the Lambs’
We all know and love The Silence of the Lambs, one of three films ever to win all five major categories (Best Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay, and Picture) at the Academy Awards. However, Jonathan Demme‘s groundbreaking crime drama/thriller was not the first time the work of author Thomas Harris, creator of the horrifying, cannibalistic Dr. Hannibal Lecter, was adapted for the big screen. Five years earlier, Michael Mann — the hyper-stylized and cinematic poet laureate of men who are incapable of compartmentalizing their professional and personal lives — directed Manhunter, the first Hannibal Lecter movie, adapted from Harris’ most famous novel, Red Dragon. Dismissed upon release in 1986, the film, which starred William Petersen as Will Graham and Brian Cox as Lecter, has become more than a cherished entry in the Mann filmography; it also helped set the template for our current obsession and consumption of serial killer-related media.
Now available in a remastered 4K director’s cut — which will be playing in a limited theatrical run — there’s never been a better time to hop on the Manhunter bandwagon.
‘Manhunter’ is a Quintessential Michael Mann Film
Thanks to its cult reappraisal, the film, which follows FBI profiler Will Graham returning to service to pursue a deranged serial killer known as the “Tooth Fairy,” is no longer the overshadowed little sibling of the more widely acclaimed Silence of the Lambs. In certain instances, Mann’s film — his third feature following Thief and The Keep — explores human psychology and the grisly effects of plunging into a murder investigation to a depth that Demme never could have in Lambs.
Red Dragon, or any book by Harris, was practically tailor-made for Mann, a director whose filmography is synonymous with slick, emotionally operatic crime sagas. On one hand, Mann’s visual acumen was responsible for the culturally defining neon-soaked aura of the 1980s with Thief and the Miami Vice series, which he produced. He pushed the envelope even further in the 2000s with his foray into digital filmmaking and high frame rates with Collateral and Public Enemies. But at his core, no matter the formalist direction, Mann loves nothing more than cops and crooks whose obsession with their respective professions compromises their personal relationships — and even their own well-being — from the dueling detective and bank robber in Heat to the determined Big Tobacco whistleblower in The Insider.
Manhunter is a maximized charge of both aspects of Mann, combining the glossy visual euphoria of his ’80s work with the gritty character drama of his most acclaimed ’90s films. Will Graham’s relationship with Dr. Lecter, spelled “Lecktor” in this film, is an intoxicating insight into the perverse bonds between people on opposite sides of the law. Graham’s use of his former nemesis, the one who nearly killed him, as a consultant in his Tooth Fairy investigation makes us question the FBI agent’s motivations and the sacrifice required to fulfill justice. The collision of Mann’s virtuosic style and poignant themes coalesces into a painterly cinematic experience, which enforces the idea that, in the best cases, style is indeed the substance, as the varying color palettes reflect moods of sensual warmth and sheer terror.
Today, audiences can’t get enough of anything related to crime, especially serial killer cases of both the fictional and nonfictional varieties. Between movies, TV, books, and podcasts, true crime reigns supreme in the media landscape. As disturbing as it sounds, diving into the minds of sociopaths, hearing graphic details of a horrific crime, and following a case as mock detectives have become forms of escapist entertainment for many. If you watch any of Michael Mann’s films, you’ll have a clearer understanding of why society has embraced, if not glorified, serial crimes.
Despite being an actual officer of the law, Will Graham resembles the average consumer of a 10-part true crime documentary series more than a venerated detective. His determination borders on an unhealthy obsession with the case, so much so that he begins identifying with Lecktor and Francis Dolarhyde, a.k.a. the Tooth Fairy, played brilliantly by the late Tom Noonan. Graham loses sight of reality and his values, particularly his family (overlooked wives and children are a Mann staple), during a thorough investigation that often sees him entering an inescapable dark void. Manhunter‘s methodical attention to detail and deliberate use of jargon and procedure were highly influential to the future of crime media 40 years later, just as Mann’s calculated writing and directing are fundamental to your average network cop drama today.
When a film is as visually and thematically striking as Manhunter, watching it in the sharpest format is essential. Soon enough, the film will enter its place as a canonical classic among all audiences.
Manhunter
- Release Date
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August 15, 1986
- Runtime
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119 minutes
- Director
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Michael Mann
- Writers
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Thomas Harris, Michael Mann
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