DVD Reviews: Red Dragon (Rental)

Hannibal Lecter is back in this prequel to the other two movies that made us shiver in our boots. Oddly enough, I think this one is more akin to Silence of the Lambs than the second movie Hannibal in the way that Lecter is portrayed. In Hannibal.

Personally I found in the second movie, whilst I still loved it, was a much lighter film in terms of the performance given by Hopkins whilst the delivery from the other actors is as intense as ever. It was almost as though Hopkins was allowed to have a bit of fun the second time round, but the wisecracking was out of character from the Lecter that most of us prefer. This time it's back to the intensely clever Lecter that helps as much as he hinders, either through direct speech or artful subterfuge.

The story this time features FBI agent Will Graham, who has just uncovered who is responsible for a series of murders that so far have gone unsolved. He's had the assistance of a renowned psychiatrist and profiling expert, Dr Hannibal Lecter. There's only a small problem with this assistance when Dr. Lecter is the killer and Graham eventually puts him behind bars after nearly being murdered by Lecter. The shock of this case and his injuries sends Graham into retirement.

Time passes and after two families are killed in the same way with no apparent motive or indicative factors, an old friend calls Graham in to help out. Not actually catch the killer but to at least provide them with a profile of the man or woman that they might be after. Graham reluctantly agrees and seeks the help of his favourite cannibal doctor, who hinders as much as he helps.

This film plays more on the mind than Hannibal, relying on you to conjure your own grisly images in your mind. Sure there are a number of times that you will say "Oh my god!" at a nasty moment but for the most part, it's all in your head. Whilst not getting into too much detail as it'll give things away, Ralph Fiennes plays a brilliant role as the madman and there is an unusual twist to the part he plays.

As far as extras go, there is only The Hulk trailer that goes for around 30 seconds. There are no other extras on this disc and considering how good the collectors editions of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal both were, we've got a lot to look forward.

Highly recommended psycho thriller!