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Hannibal

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore
Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Drama
Year: 2001
Rating: 3 / 5

He has been called the greatest screen villain of all-time. He is the sort of character that makes movies fans want to stand up and root against good. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, first brought to mainstream attention in 1991's Silence of the Lambs, returns to action in the blockbuster hit Hannibal. Director Ridley Scott picks up where Jonathan Demme left off, giving audiences exactly what they want - more of the good Dr. Lecter. Anthony Hopkins reprises his award-winning role, this time teaming with Julianne Moore as the object of his attentions, Clarice Starling. With Hopkins in the lead, the camp quotient is high, and the fun is just beginning.

FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) has been called in to assist in the arrest of fugitive Evelda Drumgo. Starling, who has twice before arrested Drumgo, senses trouble when Drumgo struts from her hideout with a cadre of armed guards. Despite Starling's order to back off, a gunfight ensues, claiming the lives of Drumgo, her associates, and a FBI agent. The resulting public relations nightmare causes the Bureau to look into the actions of Agent Starling. In the era of Waco and other such disasters, someone must be held accountable, and, through the gentle prodding of higher-up Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta), Starling is deemed to be the sacrificial lamb for this latest debacle.

Halfway around the globe, in Italy, police officer Pazzi (Italian star Giancarlo Giannini) is investigating the disappearance of a museum curator. His work brings him into contact with one Dr. Fell, the temporary replacement for the missing curator. After a request for help from the FBI comes through his office, Pazzi begins to suspect that Dr. Fell may in fact be Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Pazzi contacts millionaire Mason Verger, Lecter's only surviving victim, when he learns that there is a $3 million reward for Lecter's capture. Of course, Lecter is not so easily captured, and his flight eventually leads him to America and his favorite law enforcement officer, Clarice Starling.

Ridley Scott's take on Hannibal is mostly faithful to the Thomas Harris novel, except for the fact, of course, that the ending veers in an entirely different direction. Certain subplots are understandably underdeveloped, but Scott's rendition remains relatively true. The Italian backdrops present through roughly half the film are truly beautiful, and Giancarlo Giannini's Pazzi is a formidable screen adversary for the hypnotizing Hannibal. The film does suffer from multiple leaps of logic, leaps that are clarified in the Harris novel. The motivations of certain characters are obscured or omitted altogether, making for a rather choppy plot. This throws more pressure onto Hopkins, but even his considerable charm cannot elevate Hannibal to the level of its acclaimed predecessor. Fans will have to be content with the collection of campy, gory fun that Hannibal is.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for violence and language.
Running Time: 131 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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