As the sequel to Silence Of The Lambs, Hannibal has the daunting
task of following in the steps of a horror masterpiece. Based on the novel by
Thomas Harris, Hannibal finds FBI agent Clarice Starling (played here by the
superb Julianne Moore) in disgrace at the Bureau after the arrest of a drug
dealer went horribly wrong, causing the deaths of several people, including a
fellow agent. Crucified in the media, and dropping out of favor with her
bureaucrat bosses, Starling is given a last chance assignment: interview Mason
Verger, a very wealthy and powerful man who also happens to be one of Hannibal
Lecter's surviving victims. Gary Oldman, who received no credit in the film,
gives an amazing performance as Verger, whose encounter with Lecter has left
him a dreadfully scarred paraplegic. An extremely bitter and vile man (he was a
child molester before his fateful meeting with Lecter), Verger has his sights set on
getting revenge at Hannibal Lecter through Agent Starling. The unusual tools
Verger has chosen for his revenge are a pack of boars, or pigs, which can devour
the flesh of a human being with startling vigor (provided their victim is
properly incapacitated).
As for Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, he is happily residing in Florence, Italy
where for the past ten years since "Silence" he lived the life of an academic
and has abstained from killing what he calls "the free-range rude". This serene
life is shattered when Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini) of the local
police recognizes Lecter. But instead of arresting him, Pazzi makes the fatal
mistake of trying to capture Lecter on his own, so he can collect the sizable
reward offered by Mason Verger. Thanks to Giannini's sympathetic portrayal, Pazzi
comes off as a tragic figure, a man who simply wants the best for his young wife.
This mistaken act sets off a chain of events
that brings Lecter back to the United States, and on a collision course with
Mason Verger, Clarice Starling, and a pack of ravenous boars.
The stunning thing about Hannibal is the abrupt shift from Lecter as the
monstrous killer we knew and feared in Manhunter and Silence, to a heroic figure. Mason
Verger turns out to be the real monster of this skewered but fascinating story, despite the fact
that Lecter himself is a convicted serial killer who shows no remorse for his crimes.
And yet while director Ridley Scott carefully followed the basic plot of Thomas
Harris' novel, he and screenwriters David Mamet and Steven Zaillian are to be
commended for not slavishly adhering to the book, which went way over the top in
its depiction of Lecter as a sort of psychotic superhero. Thankfully, the book's
silly ending had been dumped in favor of a slightly more believable one in the
film. And while I miss Jodie Foster, who created the role of Clarice Starling,
Julianne Moore easily handles the part with plenty of aplomb.
The DVD is rich in special features, beginning with a director's commentary from
Ridley Scott, deleted scenes (along with optional commentary by Scott), various
"making of" documentaries on the film, an alternate ending, a blow by blow
account of the shoot out at the "fish market", and a look at the film's opening
title design, and more. Hannibal may be something of a disappointment in that it
lacks the intensity and sheer fright of "Silence", but it is still an engrossing
thriller in its own right. --SF