Manhunter (1986)

	Directed by: Michael Mann	COUNTRY USA GENRE Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Manhunter RUNNING TIME 119 minutes
	Produced by: Dino de Laurentiis Richard D. Roth
	Written by (based on "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris): Michael Mann

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Will Graham	William Petersen	½
Molly Graham	Kim Greist
Reba McClane	Joan Allen	½
Dr. Hannibal Lector	Brian Cox
FBI Section Chief Jack Crawford	Dennis Farina	½
Francis Dolarhyde	Tom Noonan
Freddy Lounds	Stephen Lang

Review

Years before Anthony Hopkins shot to international stardom with his chilling, universally acclaimed rendition of Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs, Scottish character actor Brian Cox was the first one to portray Thomas Harris' iconic serial killer on film. Manhunter was a medium budget production directed by the up-and-coming filmmaker Michael Mann (Thief) and starring William Petersen in the role of FBI Agent Will Graham. It fared only moderately at the box office, but later gained a small cult following, particularly among Harris fans. This following was further bolstered by the release of the far more commercially successful Hopkins films of the '90s.

But cult status aside, compared to Red Dragon (with which it shares the same story), Manhunter is a more aesthetically low-key and narratively straightforward police procedural. The production values are clearly inspired by Mann's own TV series Miami Vice – with heavy emphasis on music and mood – and the dialogue is subdued, technical, and somewhat unremarkable. This is not necessarily negative criticism, however, because the style works well within the realm created by Mann, and the characters are carefully and intelligently fleshed out and portrayed. Tom Noonan is occasionally chilling in his most memorable role, and Brian Cox shows his force as Lector – he's a fitting precursor to Hopkins' creation. Manhunter isn't as multi-layered or intriguing as Red Dragon, but it plays well and shows the director's talent and ambition without quite maximising the potential of Harris' universe.