Hannibal Rising (2007)

	Directed by: Peter Webber	COUNTRY France/UK/USA GENRE Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Hannibal Rising RUNNING TIME 130 minutes
	Produced by: Tarak Ben Ammar Dino De Laurentiis Martha De Laurentiis
	Written by (based on his novel): Thomas Harris

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Hannibal Lecter	Gaspard Ulliel
Lady Murasaki Shikibu	Gong Li	½
Grutas	Rhys Ifans	½
Enrikas Dortlich	Richard Brake
Petras Kolnas	Kevin McKidd
Inspector Popil	Dominic West

Review

One could expect the bad direction and bad acting, but the saddest fact about the completely unnecessary Hannibal Rising is the poor script and story by Thomas Harris. I won't criticize him for selling out any more than I will other writers, but there is little doubt that this story is not representative of Harris' previous books about Hannibal Lecter. The combination of Dino De Laurentiis' greed and an uninspired Harris does not make the best foundation for an origin story about Mr. Lecter. Not only do stories aiming to unveil 'the truth behind' more often than not disappoint due to the fact that they remove the ambiguity and enigma that films like The Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal greatly profited from, but such stories also become increasingly annoying and less interesting when they fail to connect the character presented to the character we've come to know. There's little or nothing (except some plagiarized mannerisms) in Webber's film or Gaspard Ulliel's performance to justify Hannibal Rising as a precursor to Anthony Hopkins' masterful Hannibal Lecter. Ulliel simply lacks the required depth, and without much help from Harris' script, his Lecter remains flat and unengaging.

In addition to these problems, Hannibal Rising also suffers from bad craftsmanship. Peter Webber's direction is muddy and lacks style. He shoots action sequences like a mediocre horror filmmaker, and his ostensibly more 'classy' scenes look like something out of The Bold and the Beautiful. Add to that a couple of amateurish performances from Gong Li and Rhys Ifans, who both spoil every line they have. Indeed, Harris' dialogue is lacklustre, but one should still expect actors to be able to speak and act as something approximating human beings.

Fortunately, the status of Hannibal Lecter is too strong to be threatened by an insignificant little film like Hannibal Rising. And if nothing else, the film should contribute to giving Lecter a rest. After all, Anthony Hopkins' three performances in the role suffice. This film offers nothing of interest regarding his psychological profile, despite its perpetual efforts.