[.ca] Red Dragon [Widescreen Collector's Edition]

Amazon.ca:
Les producteurs de Hollywood ont bien du mal à ne pas étirer le filon d'un film à succès. Ainsi, après Hannibal, qui donnait une suite à l'excellent Silence of the Lambs, c'est maintenant le “passé” que l'on dévoile dans Red Dragon, réalisé par Brett Ratner. L'ancien agent du FBI Will Graham vit une retraite paisible, jusqu'au jour où les meurtres odieux d'un terrible schizophrène, affublé du doux sobriquet de “Red Dragon” en hommage à un tableau de William Blake, l'obligent à reprendre du service. Pour comprendre les rouages de l'esprit du psychopathe, il n'aura d'autre choix que de faire appel au non moins terrible Hannibal Lecter, qu'il avait lui-même arrêté. Même si Red Dragon aligne des acteurs solides comme Ed Norton, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel et, bien sûr, sir Anthony Hopkins, il souffre néanmoins d'incohérences majeures. D'abord, le traitement cinématographique trop moderne semble anachronique face à l'action supposée se situer dans les années 80. Ensuite, la relation entre Norton et Hopkins n'atteint jamais l'intensité séductrice et perverse qui liait Jodie Foster au cannibale. Il n'y a entre les deux hommes qu'un rapport de force qui manque d'une certaine subtilité pour être vraiment inquiétant. Le film peut toutefois compter sur un suspense bien mené, notamment grâce à l'arrivée tardive du tueur, interprété par un Ralph Fiennes fou et vulnérable à souhait, et sur une finale spectaculaire. Ce point final (espérons-le !) à la trilogie du Dr Lecter saura donc tout de même faire renaître les frissons attendus. --Helen Faradji

So, You like the Good Doctor?:
Then, Red Dragon is Ok, worth seeing. But, DO NOT MISS "MANHUNTER"! Aside from some 80's stylings, most notably the closing music over the credits, while still fitting, dates Manhunter, however, appropriately. Red Dragon is only compelling in that you "Get More", of the book. The ending is truer. The acting, and directing is clumsy. It's difficult to watch Ed Norton fumble through Will Graham's wondeful legacy of Peterson's portrayol in "Manhunter". Worse still, is watching Anthony Hopkins spew the same lines as Brian Cox, as the "Original" Hannibal Lechtor. Hideous. Oh, Tony adds his own "Lechtorism's, but, this film is a money grab. It's odd too, because Dino owns "Manhunter"!! So, this movie is ONLY a Remake! When you watch "Manhunter", you will see where Clarissa got her lines..... "Silence", is the direct descendant of "Manhunter". And, with Hannibal (the movie, not the book), being left unfinished, there will more than likely be another money grab, hopefully, however, from a book as brilliantly written as the first three. Make no mistake, Red Dragon exists, simply to "fill a gap" in time, where something can be sold to those of us, who want more "Lechtor". Manhunter is by far, the superior Movie. The film's color, and score, all add to the tension, that was only since recaptured in "Silence". In years to come, Manhunter will stand as the far more mature movie, as it draws on more time honored cinematic core values. Red Dragon is difficult to watch also, with Lechtor's and Chilton's charachters, hopelessly "Made up" to look as if they're 20 some years younger than (the actors) actually are! It looks silly. Yes, in the original movie, they were afraid "Red Dragon" would denote a karate film. "Manhunter" is derived from the fact that Will Graham, is Hunting the new serial killer, Frances Dolarhyde. Bottom Line: I wouldn't advise you miss this movie, if you like the series. But, certainly don't choose this over the real original: "Manhunter". See them both, if you must..... Dream much, Will? Pete

way above average thriller:
(This movie was originally made as Manhunter)i liked "red dragon" a lot.it was was well written and well directed.the acting was very good,in particular harvey keitel, in a small role.the action scenes were well done and the characters were sympathetic,so you felt their pain and anguish.the dramatic scenes were done to great effect,not simply filler,but actually serving a purpose.there was also plenty of suspense,excellent in this case, since the movie take place before the events in "the silence of the lambs"do. even though you know the story,the director still manages to keep you on edge and keep you interested in the story .i found the dialogue refreshing,not clichéd and awkward, as is the case quite often.i bought "red dragon and have watched it more than once, enjoying it each time.if this is your type of genre,you will like this movie. 4/5

Ok, but no Manhunter....:
Red Dragon was a decent movie by itself, though it relied on the prestige of SOTL too much. It starts off adding an extra scene to include Anthony Hopkins, and continues this habit throughout the movie. These scenes are not in the book and do nothing to further the movie. Red Dragon has an all-star cast, though no one seems to put effort into their role. Most importantly, Edward Norton (playing Will Graham) fails to portray the innner conflict in Graham. He seems unaffected by the case, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Manhunter was a much better movie, with much better directing and acting. In Manhunter, William Peterson plays Graham and does the part much better. Peterson plays a dark, brooding investigator who is truly sacrificing a part of himself to take on the case. This self-sacrifice is the heart of the book, and was largely lost in Red Dragon. I recommend that anyone interested in Red Dragon watch Manhunter instead.

Deserving resurrection of "Manhunter",:
I've seen "Red Dragon" years ago but couldn't recollect it from my thoughts. Last night it reappear to me that it's a great film. This of course is a remake of "Manhunter (Full Screen Edition)," the first in the series of films centering on FBI profilers, serial killers, and the infamous Hannibal Lecter, who I suppose is the modern day equivalent of "Jack the Ripper." I haven't read the novel by Thomas Harris so I can't say which is the more authentic, but they're both very good films. As in the original, "Red Dragon" centers around the character of Will Graham, a retired FBI profiler who is brought back to help find a serial killer (Ralph Fiennes), known as "The Tooth Fairy," preying on women with families. He kills once a month in sync with the lunar cycle, so Graham has time to investigate the two crime scenes and look for evidence that would indicate who the next target is. The beginning of the scene will capture your interest right away, because it sets up the relationship of Hopkins and Norton; it also gives Hopkins, without whom this film wouldn't exist, more screen-time. Also as in the original, Hannibal Lecter is a supporting figure, not the main attraction, though Anthony Hopkins certainly chews up the scenery in a performance he's gotten quite good at. The relationship between Lecter and Graham never intrigued me as much and I'm not convinced that Norton was the best choice for the part of Graham. Somehow, Norton came across to me as too innocent and youthful for the kind of role he was playing. Towards the end he turns out to be a good performance. The movie doesn't play up his character as much as "Manhunter" did for William L. Petersen, but that's just a style difference in the directors. Weaknesses, though, were compensated for by a marvelous performance from Ralph Fiennes as the killer as Dolarhyde, and he's downright creepy. Michael Mann cast one of his favorites, Tom Noonan, as Dolarhyde in the original, and he played the part brilliantly. Though here, the killer is developed more and you see why he became such a twisted figure. Think Norman Bates on steroids. And that tattoo is down right gorgeous. Emily Watson did a good job as Reba and there's really not much I can say about her. When Michael Mann made "Manhunter" in 1986, he was at the peak of his success with "Miami Vice" and the movie reflected that genre, with hip characters and rock & roll music on the soundtrack. Who could forget the ending when Will Graham crashes through the window while "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is blasting away. Here, Brett Ratner (the "Rush Hour" films) directs "Red Dragon" as a more traditional suspense film without the flashiness of Mann's creation. Different creations of the same story, but both very good in their own way.

"Manhunter", updated for the 2000s:
Red Dragon, third in the line of "Hannibal Lector" series featuring Anthony Hopkins, is preceded by the 1986 Michael Mann film, Manhunter. Standing alone, Red Dragon is a good solid film from beginning to end; however, I feel those interested in buying this film or otherwise completing the legacy, should get an idea for how the two film versions of Thomas Harris' first Lector novel differ. Red Dragon feels more like a psychological horror film than does Manhunter. Those who remember 80's police action films like Clint Eastwood's "Tightrope" or Silvester Stallone's "Cobra" will find Manhunter in common thriller territory. The tension in Red Dragon is strong throughout the film; however we see little development of the Francis Dolarhyde (Tom Noonan) serial killer (known as the Tooth Fairy). While we see the central elements that define his psychosis, we only barely glimpse at his struggle with his own humanity except for through emotion expressed in Ralph Feinnes' eyes. Tom Noonan's Francis is distant and perhaps zombie-like, and so the character is development more through subsequent scenes. Red Dragon is also more bloody -- appropriate for the times; whereas Manhunter has virtually no gore (that I can recall). Absent from Red Dragon is the 80's power pop-rock music that scores Manhunter. This is perhaps for the best as the music used in Red Dragon actually adds atmosphere to the scenes. The central figure in Red Dragon, FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) is more clearly defined as having a sixth sense that aids him in his investigations. This is less clear in Manhunter as it's arguable that Graham is just highly intuitive. However, William Petersen's portrayal of Graham is darker, more complex. This helps to enrich the drama even more since both the protagonist and antagonist seem to be living inside themselves, shut out from the rest of the world. Brian Cox portrays Hannibal Lector with confidence, but pales in comparison to Anthony Hopkins' more sinister performance. As good a film as Manhunter is, it is difficult to recommend movie fans from overlooking Red Dragon since the success of the film has been built largely on Hopkins' role as the good, er evil doctor. The 4-star rating I gave to this DVD is not based on the caliber of the film itself but on it's presentation in the DVD and on the extras. The DVD is pretty much standard fare for today, which is a good thing; however, I didn't find myself overly thrilled about the extras.