Red Dragon

Red Dragon (2002) is the third Hannibal Lecter film and the first story in the sequence. It takes place before The Silence of the Lambs. Former FBI profiler Will Graham nearly died catching Lecter and retired afterwards. When a new killer starts murdering whole families he is pulled back in, and the only person who can help him is sitting in a cell. What makes it interesting is the killer's side of it. Francis Dolarhyde, played by Ralph Fiennes, is not written as a monster. He is frightening and he is also in pain, and his scenes with Emily Watson are the best material in the film. The same novel was filmed in 1986 by Michael Mann as Manhunter. This version is closer to the book and brings Hopkins back. The other is colder and far more striking stylistically. Comparing them is its own pleasure. Brett Ratner's direction is functional and never reaches Jonathan Demme's tension. Good for: serial killer thrillers, the Lecter films, and Hopkins. On viewing order: this is chronologically first, but watching The Silence of the Lambs before it gives a better experience. Less good for: the murders and the family killings are heavy.