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Though it will always be remembered as the movie featuring the 'other' Hannibal Lecter, Michael Mann's 1986 thriller Manhunter is nearly as good as The Silence of the Lambs, and in some respects it's arguably even better. Based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon, which introduced the world to the nefarious killer Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter, the film stars William Petersen (giving a suitably brooding performance) as ex-FBI agent Will Graham, who is coaxed out of semiretirement to track down a serial killer who has thwarted the authorities at every turn.
Graham's approach to the case is a perilous one. First he seeks counsel with Lecter (Brian Cox) in the latter's high-security prison cell--an encounter that is utterly horrifying in its psychological effect--and then he begins to mold his own psyche to that of the killer, with potentially devastating results. As directed by Mann (who was at the acme of his success with TV's Miami Vice), this sophisticated cat-and-mouse game never resorts to the compromise of cheap thrills. Predating Anthony Hopkins's portrayal of Lecter by four years, Cox plays the character closer to Harris's original, lower-key conception, and he's no less compelling in the role. Petersen is equally well cast, and as always Mann employs rock music to astonishing effect, using nearly all of Iron Butterfly's heavy-metal epic 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' to accompany the film's heart-stopping climactic sequence. All of this makes Manhunter one of the finest films of its kind, as well as further proof that Harris's fiction is a blessing to any filmmaker brave enough to adapt it. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Manhunter remains memorable
When it comes to the "serial killer genre," I suppose Michael Mann's 1986 film "Manhunter" began it all. One could argue for Richard Fleischer's superb The Boston Strangler in 1968, but no matter. Mann's tight and stylish version of Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon is a thoroughly fascinating work. To this day, I recall the terror felt during the early sequence when Will Graham (William Petersen) investigates the blood-soaked crime scene alone, practically whispering his version of the events into ... Read More
Rating: - Best Hannibal Lecter Movie
The set, the music and especially the actors and director are excellent. It is the best of the movies done with the Hannibal Lecter character.
Rating:  - Outstanding performance by William Peterson
This was one of the first William Peterson movies I had ever seen. The first one was "To Live and Die in L.A." If you haven't seen that one, pick it up.
Even though this movie has been reproduced, this is still worth watching. The villian is menacing and more frightening than Ralphe Fiennes, although I love Ralphe. Check it out if you haven't already!!!
Rating:  - Ultimately not that great
It's hard to guess what would have happened to "Manhunter" if "The Silence of the Lambs" hadn't turned Hannibal Lecter (Lecktor in this film) into a popular phenomenon. However, the film was made, released, and seen on its own terms (and flopped on its own terms if it comes to that) in 1986, so I will try not to compare it to "Silence" or the other adaptation of the same source material, 2002's "Red Dragon." Taken independently, however, Manhunter still is largely a failed movie, never managing ... Read More
Rating: - A great thiller
Although I have alot of respect for Sir Anthony Hopkins, I don't like his series of the Lector movies. That's because they are "movies". The difference between a movie and film is guality. Movies can be exciting and have actors who can and cannot act in them. Films are different. They have good writing, directing, editing and acting. Sir Anthony did his best, but one or two strong actors can do so much. SoTL and Hannibal became horror movies instead of thrillers. Of the players in these ... Read More
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