Hopkins gives killer performance in 'Red Dragon'
By Nicole Rodriguez
"Red Dragon" does not begin in the midst of the story its trailer boasts. On the contrary, the audience is given a delightful glimpse into his refined, pre-incarceration lifestyle. And also, fascinatingly enough, the encounter that allows gumshoe FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) the opportunity to catch the wily socialite and end his murderous game.
When the main plot really begins, we see through a montage of news clippings that several years have passed and Graham has opted for an early retirement, while Lector remains imprisoned in the same dismal setting in which we found him in 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs." Hiding from his past troubles in Florida with his wife (Mary Louise Parker) and young son, Will is convinced to return up North to help his former boss, Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel), solve one last case.
The case, we soon learn, has never been seen before: two families, states apart, are murdered in their homes by a menacing serial killer the press has dubbed "the tooth fairy" (Ralph Fiennes) after his tendency to bite his victims during their torturous murders. Before long, Graham finds that he must confront his past and ask his former mentor (Lector) for help in discovering the identity of the tooth fairy before another family is lost.
"Red Dragon" never quite reaches that same level of shocking terror that "Silence" achieved. However, it is a vast improvement from 2001's "Hannibal." This is quite surprising, seeing as director Brett Ratner has been the least acclaimed director to take on the series so far ("Silence" was directed by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme, while "Hannibal" had three-time nominee Ridley Scott in charge). Under Ratner's inspired direction, "Dragon" becomes a frighteningly delightful way to spend two hours - even if it is minus the generous helpings of gore Scott served us in "Hannibal."
The movie goes out of its way to provide us with realistic characters as opposed to a few cheap thrills. In fact, by the end of the film it seems almost difficult to decide which character we know the best or like the least. We are in awe of Will, seduced by Lector, and sympathetic of the tooth fairy. The real horror of the film may not even be in the crimes committed, but rather in the audience's undeniable tendency to side understand and perhaps even root for the bad guys as well as we do our hero.
Sir Anthony Hopkins, who reprises his most famous role for the third time, is, as always, deliciously charming as Hannibal the Cannibal Lector. Although " Dragon" is written to take place before "Silence," no effort was made to make Hopkins look any younger. And while this may not flow chronologically, Hopkins works it to his advantage. He knows he doesn't look like a killer. To be honest, at first glance Hannibal could be anyone's father or grandfather. This look also works to Ratner's advantage when attempting to play out the relationship between Will and Lector. We are supposed to believe that Lector was once a sort of mentor for 30-something Graham, and this age difference seems to make that fact easier to accept than if a younger actor would have stepped in to fill Hopkins' shoes.
Norton and Fiennes, who round out the cast's leading actors, are also superb in their roles. It goes without saying that Norton, who jumped to stardom in 1997's "Primal Fear," is flawless in his turn as FBI prodigy Will Graham. He eats the camera with a combination of charisma and flat-out talent that allows him to be the center of almost every scene he appears in.
Fiennes is incredible as well, and in a role far more difficult than Norton's. Although Norton puts terrific effort, he has the advantage of playing the stereotypical good guy. Ratner would have had to cast an actor as bad as Tom Green to make Will's character unlikable. However, Fiennes (who plays the tooth fairy aka the Red Dragon) shares with Hopkins the challenge of making the audience sympathetic to his murderous character. And he succeeds admirably. The audience never wants the tooth fairy to be harmed or killed. We want Will to catch him so that he can get help, so that he can be saved from himself. His character is like a child you want to take care of, a bad seed you can't help but want to make good.
Elegantly penned by Ted Tally (who was also responsible for "Lamb"'s script), "Red Dragon" proves to be a delectable combination of strong characters, inspired direction, and delicious thrills. I guarantee you'll want to go back for seconds. A