Manhunter (1986)
Studio: MGM/20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release: August 15, 1986
Blu Ray Release: September 13, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
This is the movie that gave audiences a first glimpse of Hannibal Lecter, played here by Brian Cox. Although his scenes are brief, they happen to be some of the strongest scenes in the film and thus Manhunter has been included with many Hannibal Lecter Collections that have found their way on DVD and Blu Ray. The problem with including this is that Manhunter is very much different than Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon (a remake of Manhunter). Manhunter focuses its attention not so much on the serial killer but on FBI agent Will Graham and his obsession with tracking down the serial killer The Tooth Fairy.
Based on the novel "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris, Manhunter starts off on a creepy note: an unidentified person walking around in someone's house. The audience sees this through his point of view and he when he walks into the main bedroom, he stares at a husband and wife sleeping, blinding them with a flashlight until the wife wakes up. While a stranger breaking into your home is scary in itself, being watched and played with is even scarier. The family is murdered and the best man for the job in tracking down the killer is special agent Will Graham. Although he just got out of a psychiatric ward due to having a violence confrontation with the last serial killer he tracked down, Will agrees to take the job and like he did previously, he starts to think like the killer and become once again obsessed in finding him.
Graham even goes so far as to visit the jail cell where the serial killer he tracked down previously resides, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Graham asks Lector for his thoughts and opinions on the character of this new killer called The Tooth Fairy, named because of his fondness for biting his victims.
While the first half of the film focuses on Graham, Manhunter soon changes point of view and begins to show the audience the side of the serial killer whose strange appearance by being so tall with a hair lip so noticeable make him all the more frightening. When the killer falls in love with a blind woman and hit it off at first, he soon goes into a rage when she is still attached to a previous boyfriend/lover.
Directed by Michael Mann, Manhunter is a joy to watch for fans of murder mysteries or thrillers. The movie moves at a slow pace and can be a bit overlong, but the film never quite bores. It's interesting to see the cops find and figure out clues without being so obvious or silly. In fact, Manhunter takes itself so serious that even when something a bit too convenient happens for the police, we the audience buy it. What also really helps sell the movie as a decent suspense film is the top notch performances by the intense William Peterson as Graham and Tom Noonan stealing his scenes away from everyone as The Tooth Fairy. However, my personal favorite scenes are with Hannibal Lecter who is played by Brian Cox. Although Anthony Hopkins owns that role, Cox is quite good as the chilling doctor willing to help Graham find his killer but for a price. I only wish his scenes were longer but Manhunter isn't about Lector.
Manhunter hasn't aged very well as the film does have a few moments of being "too 80's". The pop songs that come out of nowhere during intense scenes is almost laughable. There are some jump cuts near the end of the film during the big climax that is just too noticeably jarring and come out of nowhere. It almost pulls the viewer out of the movie when this is the moment you want to suck an audience in. Were these jump cuts/lost frames intentional? if so, bad idea.
Fans of Manhunter will be happy with MGM's blu ray in the way it looks and sounds. Although a few night time scenes look too grainy, the picture is still solid and it has been updated in HD, being much better than previous editions. However, MGM drops the ball by not giving us any special features, not even a trailer. Anchor Bay owned the rights previously to Manhunter and released a 2 disc special edition with deleted scenes and featurettes. This blu ray has zilch. Nodda. Nothing. Why?
If you can get past the lack of special features, Manhunter is a suspenseful thriller that is both stylish and entertaining. It's still worth a grab if you can find it for a good price.
Theatrical Release: August 15, 1986
Blu Ray Release: September 13, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
This is the movie that gave audiences a first glimpse of Hannibal Lecter, played here by Brian Cox. Although his scenes are brief, they happen to be some of the strongest scenes in the film and thus Manhunter has been included with many Hannibal Lecter Collections that have found their way on DVD and Blu Ray. The problem with including this is that Manhunter is very much different than Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon (a remake of Manhunter). Manhunter focuses its attention not so much on the serial killer but on FBI agent Will Graham and his obsession with tracking down the serial killer The Tooth Fairy.
Based on the novel "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris, Manhunter starts off on a creepy note: an unidentified person walking around in someone's house. The audience sees this through his point of view and he when he walks into the main bedroom, he stares at a husband and wife sleeping, blinding them with a flashlight until the wife wakes up. While a stranger breaking into your home is scary in itself, being watched and played with is even scarier. The family is murdered and the best man for the job in tracking down the killer is special agent Will Graham. Although he just got out of a psychiatric ward due to having a violence confrontation with the last serial killer he tracked down, Will agrees to take the job and like he did previously, he starts to think like the killer and become once again obsessed in finding him.
Graham even goes so far as to visit the jail cell where the serial killer he tracked down previously resides, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Graham asks Lector for his thoughts and opinions on the character of this new killer called The Tooth Fairy, named because of his fondness for biting his victims.
While the first half of the film focuses on Graham, Manhunter soon changes point of view and begins to show the audience the side of the serial killer whose strange appearance by being so tall with a hair lip so noticeable make him all the more frightening. When the killer falls in love with a blind woman and hit it off at first, he soon goes into a rage when she is still attached to a previous boyfriend/lover.
Directed by Michael Mann, Manhunter is a joy to watch for fans of murder mysteries or thrillers. The movie moves at a slow pace and can be a bit overlong, but the film never quite bores. It's interesting to see the cops find and figure out clues without being so obvious or silly. In fact, Manhunter takes itself so serious that even when something a bit too convenient happens for the police, we the audience buy it. What also really helps sell the movie as a decent suspense film is the top notch performances by the intense William Peterson as Graham and Tom Noonan stealing his scenes away from everyone as The Tooth Fairy. However, my personal favorite scenes are with Hannibal Lecter who is played by Brian Cox. Although Anthony Hopkins owns that role, Cox is quite good as the chilling doctor willing to help Graham find his killer but for a price. I only wish his scenes were longer but Manhunter isn't about Lector.
Manhunter hasn't aged very well as the film does have a few moments of being "too 80's". The pop songs that come out of nowhere during intense scenes is almost laughable. There are some jump cuts near the end of the film during the big climax that is just too noticeably jarring and come out of nowhere. It almost pulls the viewer out of the movie when this is the moment you want to suck an audience in. Were these jump cuts/lost frames intentional? if so, bad idea.
Fans of Manhunter will be happy with MGM's blu ray in the way it looks and sounds. Although a few night time scenes look too grainy, the picture is still solid and it has been updated in HD, being much better than previous editions. However, MGM drops the ball by not giving us any special features, not even a trailer. Anchor Bay owned the rights previously to Manhunter and released a 2 disc special edition with deleted scenes and featurettes. This blu ray has zilch. Nodda. Nothing. Why?
If you can get past the lack of special features, Manhunter is a suspenseful thriller that is both stylish and entertaining. It's still worth a grab if you can find it for a good price.
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