Manhunter (1986)

Director: Michael Mann
Starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen

Synopsis:
A former FBI profiler comes out of retirement to help catch a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy, calling on the insight of another serial killer he put away.

Impressions:
I remember watching a little bit of this movie years ago and not really going for it. I wrote it off as an inferior adaptation compared to the later Red Dragon, but going back and giving a proper watch, I have to say that I was mistaken. No doubt there are some partisans out there who ardently defend one over the other, but as for me, I like both equally well. There's more of a stylized feel to this and the music is particularly impactful (and oh so 80s). William Petersen is quite good as Will Graham and I honestly think there's more range to the performance than what Ed Norton provides in the remake. I wouldn't quite give Tom Noonan an edge over Ralph Fiennes, but he's not bad as Dollarhyde. Brian Cox gives a good performance as Hannibal Lecter (or "Lecktor" as he's known here) and it's fun to compare and contrast him with Anthony Hopkins' iconic take on the character. I also want to give Stephen Lang credit for being delightfully sleazy as Freddy Lounds and I also liked Dennis Farina as Jack Crawford (one of his early big roles). Final word: Even if you're a big fan of the remake, this is definitely worth seeing. It's a matter of personal taste as to which adaptation is better, but I prefer not to take sides. Give this one a watch.

Rating:
Watch It