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Hannibal (2001 DreamWorks/Universal) 2 hrs. 10 mins. Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Giancarlo Giannini, and Ray Liotta. Music by: Hans Zimmer Directed by: Ridley Scott Hannibal Rating:  
E-MAIL GIANCARLO DE LISI A long awaited sequel that was waited upon for ten years will naturally have a level of anticipation that can overshadow the film itself. That is possibly a great way to describe the frenzy surrounding Ridley Scott's follow-up to the 1991 thriller 'Silence of the Lambs'. This time, 'Hannibal' sets itself apart very quickly from the original. Jonathon Demme directed the first Hannibal Lecter outing, which centered around a crazed cannibalistic killer who had the key to finding another crazed killer on the prowl. The first movie centered upon the direct relationship between FBI agent Clarice Starling (then played by Jodie Foster), and Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Demme focused upon this relationship and in a subtle way insinuated towards a mutual sense of admiration between the law enforcer and the law abider. All this meshed up in a psychologically intense, elegant and brilliant film. This time, 'Gladiator' director Ridley Scott does what he does best, he delivers a straightforward popcorn flick, which lacks both the intensity and the psychological disturbance within one's mind that the first movie caused. Scott abandons any style of a psychological film and imposes the film upon us in a truly elegant manner in which the film creeps up on us, but nowhere near the way in which the first one did. This ultimately leads me to wonder if Scott intentionally envisioned this style. He probably knew he could not make a film superior to its original, and therefore brought the film his way. Elegant, classy and well crafted, yet lacked the substance to truly make it a terrifying piece of fiction. 'Hannibal' is not a scary, nor terrifying film. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as the crazed killer obsessed with FBI agent Starling, here played with Julianne Moore. Bar none, Hopkins is terrific. He IS Hannibal. As he preys upon his victims, his soothing voice caresses the scene, extracting that sub-lime genre of the conventional 'slasher', catapulting him into the area of a classy, well-educated killer, which seems to have a purpose in killing his victims. Yet, Julianne Moore will be the focus of the film as she takes over from Foster. Yet, do not be alarmed, she is merely a secondary character who takes a backseat to all the events catered around Hannibal. The film is well done. Scott will probably disappoint the die-hard fans of the first who expect a psychologically intense film that will stay with fans long after the film is over, such as the first one. But, it is a fun film. Seeing Hopkins bite into his character is well worth the price of admission all in itself. This truly proves what a great actor he is. Furthermore, as we track Hannibal in Italy where he is in seclusion, during that time the film maintains a touch of brilliance and class as we discover that he realizes something is wrong. The characters in this film are fun, Gary Oldman plays Mason Verger, a hideously disfigured man who was a victim that escaped Hannibal's grasp, and trust me, the make-up that Oldman endures for the film will make no one eat pop-corn in the theatre. Ray Liotta also stars and Giancarlo Giannini does an incredible piece at playing an Italian detective who is troubled by Hannibal's presence. This film is well-done, fun to watch yet in no way as great as the original. And I believe it has something to do with the fact of the settings. The first half is mostly set in Italy creating a sense of elegance, and Hopkins is brilliant as he is a subtle simple man living in Italy. Yet, when the movie sets itself for the final 40 minutes, this is where it comes apart becoming cliched, somewhat ludicrous as you will see in the climax and whereby it gives in to the Hollywood norm of blood, a few attempted chills and a disappointing ending. See it for yourself, and then you will understand. Despite all these flaws, you will still manage 6to have a great time, this movie is fun, and it seems as if it Scott wanted it that way. He crafts a pretty good film, intentionally drawing away from the first one, but the dip in the film after it leaves Italy results in a disappointing climax that will leave audiences somewhat with their stomachs upside-down. But hey, it is Hannibal 'The Cannibal' after all. In the end, a good film, but unfortunately does not try to set itself apart from other conformist thrillers, resulting in the audience leaving the theatre perhaps wanting more, yet at the same time asking why? Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Giancarlo De Lisi © TheWorldJournal.com |
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