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Amazon.co.uk Review
Yes, he's back, and he's still hungry. Ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good--an outsider from the start, she's now a quiet, moody loner who doesn't play bureaucratic games and suffers for it. A botched drug raid results in her demotion--and a request from Lecter's only living victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited), for a little Q and A. Little does Clarice realize that the hideously deformed Verger--who, upon suggestion from Dr. Lecter, peeled off his own face--is using her as bait to lure Dr. Lecter out of hiding, quite certain he'll capture the good doctor.
Taking the basic plot contraptions from Thomas Harris's baroque novel, Hannibal is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Does it work? Yes--but only up to a point. Scott adeptly sets up an atmosphere of foreboding, but it's all buildup for anticlimax, as Verger's plot for abducting Hannibal (and feeding him to man-eating wild boars) doesn't really deliver the requisite visceral thrills, and the much-ballyhooed climatic dinner sequence between Clarice, Dr. Lecter, and a third unlucky guest wobbles between parody and horror. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible, when what made Silence so amazing was their interaction. When they do connect it's quite thrilling, but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In this film, the character of Hannibal Lecter reveals more about possibly his most interesting characteristic, his cultured and refined tastes than in any of the other films. His loathing of ill manners and his love of classical opera and art are interesting to behold and form a juxtaposition to his darker side. He shows again that he is a consumate killer and possesses an ability to pre-empt the moves of his enemies. In the hands of a lesser actor, this mix may not have been pulled off with qiuite so much success but Hopkins does it very well indeed.
Possibly one of the most memorable aspects of this film is the score. The music in the film is exquisite with many of the large scale operatic pieces being written for this film directly.
When I first saw this film, I was dissapointed as following Hannibal's escape in Silence of the Lambs, I expected that he might go on a killing spree in this film. To expect this is to underestimate the intelligence of the character. He is not the seedy opportunist slasher in the mould of Michael Myers, he is a man who loves the exotic fragrances of the best perfume houses of Paris, the views of the Duomo in Florence, the taste of fine food and wine. The benefit of seeing the film a few times and of age have revealed that upon escape, Hannibal would have sought out safety abroad, create a new identity for himself and generally keep a low profile so that he can indulge in his passions. It is only when he is challenged and cornered or exacts revenge for ill manners shown to Clarice that his darker side for which he is more notorious emerges.
The film gets better with every viewing. The cinematography and direction is first rate as one would expect from Ridley Scott and all these factors combine to make Hannibal an extremely worthy film.
Possibly one of the most memorable aspects of this film is the score. The music in the film is exquisite with many of the large scale operatic pieces being written for this film directly.
When I first saw this film, I was dissapointed as following Hannibal's escape in Silence of the Lambs, I expected that he might go on a killing spree in this film. To expect this is to underestimate the intelligence of the character. He is not the seedy opportunist slasher in the mould of Michael Myers, he is a man who loves the exotic fragrances of the best perfume houses of Paris, the views of the Duomo in Florence, the taste of fine food and wine. The benefit of seeing the film a few times and of age have revealed that upon escape, Hannibal would have sought out safety abroad, create a new identity for himself and generally keep a low profile so that he can indulge in his passions. It is only when he is challenged and cornered or exacts revenge for ill manners shown to Clarice that his darker side for which he is more notorious emerges.
The film gets better with every viewing. The cinematography and direction is first rate as one would expect from Ridley Scott and all these factors combine to make Hannibal an extremely worthy film.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I went to see this film in when it came out at the cinema and didn't think much of it then but after watching it again I have changed my opinion of it and now quite like it. The film follows on ten years after the events in `Silence of the Lambs' with Hannibal Lecter on the run and Clarice Starling charged with hunting him down in order to redeem herself after a raid she was leading went wrong. However a former victim of Lecter out for revenge and an Italian detective looking for the reward money make things difficult for Special Agent Starling. Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as always and Julianne Moore fills Jodie Foster's shoes admirably. I am not sure how close it is to the book but it is a good film nonetheless and anyone who enjoyed Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon should like Hannibal.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm in the minority but I think Hannibal is the best Lecter. Silence of the Lambs is great but it's Dr Lecter that steals the show with his limited scenes. Here we have Hannibal free and roaming around in his own movie. And where do we see him? Beautiful Florence in the first half of the movie!
On the other side of the lense we have Ridley Scott (doing a sequel!) and those that surround him are Julianna Moore, Gary Oldman and Ray Liotta. Anthony Hopkins gets to have a bit more fun with character this time reprising the chillingness of SOTL but with added zest too, 'Okey Dokey'. Some may not like this but the guy isn't in a cell anymore so it should be expected!
Better cast, better director, an equal storyline, more shocking scenes in a beautiful surrounding. What more could we ask for? 'Bowels in or bowels out?', this is a movie of beauty.
The Blu-Ray transfer is excellent. 90% of the scenes are top knotch, especially the opera. There are the odd slightly rough looking dark scenes but still very acceptable as HD.
Languages: English DTS HD Master; French and Spanish DTS surround
Subs: French, Spanish, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Traditional Mandarin
On the other side of the lense we have Ridley Scott (doing a sequel!) and those that surround him are Julianna Moore, Gary Oldman and Ray Liotta. Anthony Hopkins gets to have a bit more fun with character this time reprising the chillingness of SOTL but with added zest too, 'Okey Dokey'. Some may not like this but the guy isn't in a cell anymore so it should be expected!
Better cast, better director, an equal storyline, more shocking scenes in a beautiful surrounding. What more could we ask for? 'Bowels in or bowels out?', this is a movie of beauty.
The Blu-Ray transfer is excellent. 90% of the scenes are top knotch, especially the opera. There are the odd slightly rough looking dark scenes but still very acceptable as HD.
Languages: English DTS HD Master; French and Spanish DTS surround
Subs: French, Spanish, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Traditional Mandarin
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"Bowels in or bowels out?"
I really enjoy Hannibal and of course Anthony Hopkins who i think is one the best actors. I think it is a good film. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LoBo
Hannibal
This film was nowhere as good as Silence of the Lambs but as a follow up it was okay. Would't rush to watch it again!
Published 1 month ago by joca
How long can a man stay silent before he returns to the thing he does...
(THE FILM):
Ten years have passed since FBI agent Clarice Starling faced the ingenious Dr. Hannibal Lecter... ten years of watching, wondering and waiting. Read more
Ten years have passed since FBI agent Clarice Starling faced the ingenious Dr. Hannibal Lecter... ten years of watching, wondering and waiting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. F. husseiny
Much, much better than the book
I've watched this movie many times and I think its a classic in so many ways- the acting, the characters, the script and thankfully the rewritten plot which although it borrows in... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. M. Kostyrka
A sequel surpassing the original
This is a rare treat, being as it is a sequel which is better than the original. 10 years on from the escape of Hannibal Lecter, he has largely dropped off the radar, with just a... Read more
Published 17 months ago by S. Meadows
Good adaptation of the book
Based upon the Thomas Harris novel of the same name, and released in 2001, just over ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal is the much-anticipated follow up to the... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. S. Ferrick
Love the acting and plot
This is an awesome sequel to Silence of the Lambs. I didn't think Julianne Moore could pull it off but she did it with great success. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Henry Joe
Need sub-titles?
Sub-titles: English SDH, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish, Icelandic.
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by C. X. Linton-Willoughby
masterful
fffff. Thomas Harris' follow-up to his book The Silence of the Lambs focussed heavily, as might be expected, on its eponymous anti-hero, the cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter,... Read more
Published on 13 May 2009 by Kraftwerker
I'm in a minority but...
...this is the best Hannibal Lecter movie of all.
Silence of the Lambs is great but it's Hannibal that steals the show with his limited scenes. Read more
Silence of the Lambs is great but it's Hannibal that steals the show with his limited scenes. Read more
Published on 30 April 2009 by The usual suspect
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