At the Movies: "Manhunter" (1986)
I had many opportunities to watch “Manhunter” but kept putting it off for some reason or the other. Out of curiosity, I even saved it on my PVR/DVR once when it aired some late night, but deleted it without watching. Life’s busy and there was always some other movie which I perceived was more worth watching.
Thapson
Manhunter / imdb.com
Also, it usually aired on a channel dedicated to showing horror/thriller stuff. Most of the content on there was quite campy – adding to lowered expectations. Finally, and primarily because of the COVID-19 lockdown, I decided to check it out. I almost kicked myself for not watching it earlier! A very underrated movie that seems to fly ‘under the radar’ for some reason. Why do I think the movie is so good? The director is Michael Mann is why it’s so good. I had always associated him with fast paced, stylish TV productions like ‘Crime Story’ and ‘Miami Vice’ where you’re guaranteed cool cinematography, a sense of minimalism/modernism, splendid locales, interesting color themes, and a feeling of constant movement in a car, boat, or plane – you name it. Not to forget well chosen, current background scores. Michael Mann’s movies have a certain feel, a texture, and a certain “je ne sais quoi” (if I may get a little fancy) to them. And that feel is something I like and it definitely works for me.
If I had watched it prior to ‘Silence of the Lambs’, I probably would not have appreciated it as much either. Watching it after definitely helped. So while the initial credit goes to ‘Silence…’, for its taught story line, theme, and the wonderful acting (especially Anthony Hopkins), this movie holds its own after having watched ‘Silence…’. ‘Manhunter’ is based on the book “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris; the same one that ‘Silence…’ is based on. This similarity or relationship makes watching this movie fun on some level. While comparing the two it’s hard to favor one over the other. Both are similar, yet so dissimilar. But, because ‘Silence…’ was made five years later, I would give more credit to ‘Manhunter’ because it did not have the advantage of an inspiration of sorts out there. So while I loved ‘Silence…’ a lot, it actually helped me appreciate ‘Manhunter’ much more than I would have otherwise.
“A very underrated movie that seems to fly ‘under the radar’ for some reason”
Cast (Major Roles)
William Petersen as FBI agent Will Graham: does a stellar job in an understated, but very believable style
Dennis Farina as Jack Crawford: always a favorite both as a cop and bad guy. We lost a good actor in him
Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor (notice the name spelling adjustment): does a great job and definitely has a convincingly menacing feel and deserves more credit than he has had
Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde: Came off as ominously evil and potentially a guy you don’t want to bump into anywhere
Joan Allen as Reba McClane: Very convincing as sight impaired potential victim of Francis Dollarhyde
Synopsis
There’s a mentally unstable serial killer committing gruesome murders and leaving bizarre clues behind. The cops are at their wits end while racing against time as he kills on full moon nights. Stumped, they approach a retired FBI agent, Will Graham, who has an uncanny knack of profiling killers. Will is reluctant as the experience of his last case had driven him over the edge. To make matters worse, he would need the assistance of another serial killer, Dr Hannibal Lecktor. And Dr Lecktor’s case is in fact the one that drove Will to leave the FBI in the first place. One interesting factor in Manhunter is that there is no mention of the nature of Hannibal’s crimes. Only that they were so horrific they affected Will deeply. That implication alone, and Hannibal’s persona is enough to put you on edge. At the risk of facing his demons and exposing his family to serious harm, Will agrees.
Anything that can go wrong, does, as his family’s location is compromised, and the game of cat and mouse between Will and the mysterious killer starts in earnest. Does Dr Lecktor’s assistance help? How safe is Will’s family? Are there more victims? Does he manage to capture the criminal? For that you would need to check this movie out. I would definitely recommend it if you, like me, have been giving it a pass thinking it’s just another one of those typical serial killer hunt movies. But there’s never anything typical with a movie involving Dr. Hannibal Lecktor or directed by Michael Mann.
Manhunter (1986) trailer / ScreamFactoryTV – YouTube.com
My Take
Right from the start, you could feel the Michael Mann magic. He draws you in in his inimitable style. Some disturbing scenes for sure, but it’s minimal as the terror is actually in the anticipation of the what’s to happen. I think William Petersen did a fantastic job as a very understated professionally talented individual. This very style made him convincing and believable as an FBI guy. Despite Anthony Hopkins’s wonderful portrayal, I think Brian Cox’s Hannibal was very impressive too – although he gets very little to say or do. Remember, he had no previous role as inspiration – so he did great job creating the personality of this character.
Some scenes are eerie and work well in drawing you in. The suspense was well done. Especially when the killer in question toys with his potential victims. Like in ‘Silence…’, you can feel yourself tense up every time he makes an appearance and know ‘this is not going to turn out good’. As I’ve already mentioned, the director’s minimalist style, camera angles, soundtrack, and use of color motifs adds to the reasons to appreciate this movie. It holds up very well compared to the other movies in the ‘Hannibal’ series and you have to watch it to appreciate it. And if you are fan of the director, or aren’t (but are familiar with his other work), you will definitely revel in it.
As long as you don’t mind some quick images of blood and gore and are a fan of thriller and suspense stuff, then this movie is a definite watch. In my own personal homage to Michael Mann, I’ve tried to keep this review minimalist as well.
Other Content under ‘At the Movies’
At the Movies: Splendor in the Grass (1961)
