Manhunter (1986)

Like any good crime drama, Michael Mann's "Manhunter" never gives up, never asks you to forgive, and never takes the undiscovered route. From 1980s CGI, to Joan Allen manhandling tigers, to Tom Noonan giving us one of the most nuanced performances of any serial killer, "Manhunter" stands up to time and future remakes and nearly makes one forget about the Oscar-lauded "Silence of the Lambs" and the nearly laughable Brett Ratner remake, "Red Dragon". Michael Mann has this amazing capability to ensure that audiences are kept on the edge of their seat, while still delivering characters that feel more than just words on the screen. Take for example, Brian Cox's performance of Hannibal Lecktor. His school-boy demeanour coupled with sadistically slow speech will send goosebumps up your spine, and make one nearly forget the iconic performance that Anthony Hopkins brought to the screen years later. Yet, all Mr. Cox has is a few brief moments of screen time. This wasn't a Hannibal Lecktor horror-sequel machine, and thus a broader, more epic story was able to be allowed with Mr. Mann behind the wheel. This is not a Hannibal Lecktor movie, and thus "Manhunter" will always be pushed to the back shelves, but mark my word blog readers, "Manhunter" proves to be a worthy opponent to the Ratner directed counterpart.

With the youthful energy of Brian Cox oozing from the screen, one also must not overlook Tom Noonan's performance which shadows everything Ralph Fiennes attempted to muster in the remake. Noonan is quieter as the Tooth Fairy, making his body (height, fingers, scar on lip) create the sense of fear versus his actions which are typically all caught off camera. There is a scene where Freddy Lounds (played by the shifty Stephen Lang) is forced to open his eyes and we as audience members are given our first glance of Noonan in full figure. The scene is tight, the shot of Lang's eyes as Mann gives us no clue as to what we are ready to feast our eyes upon. The shot of Lang's eyes when they see the monstrosity before him, realizing there will be no escape from this evil. It makes "Manhunter" stronger than it ever has been, and better than its "Red Dragon" counterpart. Noonan is the star of this film, and he is partnered with William Peterson, again, giving us this flawed character that pushes for sympathy, but finds itself stuck in the same audience as the men he surrounds. Is he as crazy as the men he hunts for?

What makes "Manhunter" stand out is Mann's direction. Albeit, this is not the perfect film of the decade. Somewhere from print to DVD scenes were left out, and the entire ending seems choppy and disjointed from the rest of the film. The pacing seems wrong and suddenly we have this slap-happy moment where Dollarhyde has escaped his mental confides, where brainpower outlasts those with a gun, and instead inverts to merely enjoying life with a shotgun. It doesn't fit with the rest of the film, and is ultimately a downfall to the film, but everything leading up to this slam-bam ending is superb. There is a great scene where Graham has used the local paper to hopefully pull the killer out, which doesn't work, but the scene Mann builds is equally full of tension and fears. "Manhunter" is a defined film. It is a thriller, not a horror film, which the latter Hannibal Lector films quickly became. This is a film that has fear in the fore-front, without painting the walls with blood (have I been disproved due to the scene shown a the beginning of this review?) Mann makes Peterson's every move tense. Every scene in this film is brought out by something that reminds you of killing, of the killer, or merely that evil lurks behind it all. Check out the scene below where someone is merely reading a letter -- Yipes:

I remember watching this movie years ago and having trouble with the 80s feel to this film. There were parts that I used to feel bored me, but now, looking at it with more films behind my eyes, "Manhunter" transformed into a movie I wouldn't be afraid to watch again and again. Despite some technical glitches near the end (editing by a drunkard), the tiger scene alone is worth the price of admission. To see Joan Allen caress the tiger, feeling its breath, it is the strongest foreshadowing into the world of Dollarhyde. She is allowing the breath of the tiger to hit her twice, and one cannot forsee what will happen next. What makes Dollarhyde strong as a villain is the extra effort Mann gives to giving him a human element, the misjudged glances by another that gives the Tooth Fairy his fuel is icing on the cinematic cake. Noonan, with Mann's direction is powerful.

Found in my "501 Must See-Movies", this begins a new chapter into the world of "M", and I cannot express that it started with a bang. Next up, "Mad Max 2: Road Warrior", which hopefully will be a better outing than the last "Mad Max" experience. I think the review for that is up on this site. Overall, I really liked "Manhunter". I am adding it to the collection and standing firm that it is the best Hannibal Lecktor film within the past three decades. The tension between Graham and Lecktor and Dollarhyde was intense and brilliant. It gave this bleak impression that perhaps Graham wasn't the good guy, but instead another diabolical madman juggling a world full of them - the only difference here - he has a badge. This is getting a green mark with a blue star. I will watch this again - and I cannot wait to add it to the collection! This is the film to watch to see Noonan at his best, and Lecktor before he was Lector...