Red Dragon

As a long time admirer of author Thomas Harris’s work, I was apprehensive as to how his finest book (in my opinion) in the trilogy of Dr Hannibal Lecter books would be handled onscreen. To further fuel these fears I was horrified to learn the director would be none other than Brett Ratner, whose last film, Rush Hour 2, was so far removed from this genre I couldn’t imagine how he could make the leap. I should never have worried - Ratner takes us into the mind of the sinister Francis Dollarhyde (played magnificently by Ralph Fiennes), like one leads a child into a candy store. Throw in the delightfully grisly Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, mired firmly within the notorious cannibal’s role), a sick and tired ex-FBI Agent Will Graham (Edward Norton in a piece of inspired casting) and you have yourself the makings of a grand old film. Now take Emily Watson (playing a blind woman to perfection) and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the greasy reporter Freddie Lounds and you got yerself cinema gold.

"I am The Dragon."

Many will tell you that the original version of this film, entitled Manhunter (and also available on DVD), is the better of the two, but personally, I disagree. In the end it all comes down to personal choice, but having viewed Manhunter recently, it fails where so many points in Ratner’s vision work. And, of course, everything hinges on Lecter. For the majority of us, Lecter is Anthony Hopkins. Without question. (Hopkins does not appear as Lecter in Manhunter). With this in mind it makes the film fit better into that snug little spot inside your head that you never know you have until it gets used (or Lecter digs it out, a la Hannibal).

After capturing Lecter and nearly dying in the process, Graham has retired, but crafty old Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) sweet talks him into just one more manhunt. A killer known as The Tooth Fairy is chopping up families and after figuring he doesn’t know enough, Graham must confront Lecter for information. Norton plays against Hopkins without error in their numerous discussions about the case, while all along Lecter is secretly communicating with the sadistic killer and instructing him on how to reach Graham’s family. The magnificent cast of proven actors make for just on two hours of engrossing chills that will keep you hanging on until the final explosive conclusion.

Visuals are stunning in this picture, and the DVD maintains that quality of image throughout. In a film with so many visual effects (both visible and invisible), it is important that none are overlooked in value to the completed film and this has been strictly observed here. As some of the extra features will attest, even the simplest digital shots have been lovingly tweaked to make them juuuust right. And it shows.

The aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced) gives us everything Ratner wanted us to see with nothing left out. The DVD also includes a 4:3 format, which means there's something for everyone.

There's occasional shimmer in parts, but it’s negligible. I wouldn’t ordinarily mention it, but I fear it's sounding like I’m gushing over this film and its bonus features, so I had to put in somethin' bad!

Fully flexed 5.1 Surround and 5.1 DTS mixes make every crackle of fire, every gunshot and every wet thunk come into your living room, wrap its arms around you and hold you close. The musical score is excellent and comes with the fabulous Danny Elfman giving us a musical commentary on his work in the film, but this has its pitfall - it’s just him for the whole two hours and he doesn’t find a lot to talk about. Large empty grabs of silence while the sound-reduced film rolls on and on, aren’t really that interesting. The same information could have been imparted in a 20-minute interview on the bonus disc.

Generally speaking, though, the sound here is awesome.

Don’t read all this and hold your breath at the same time. There are too many to get through without coming up for air. Some of the notables are:

Disc One's director’s commentary (Brett Ratner with Ted Tally), which has many interesting articles about the production (although there is a lot of ‘repeating themselves’ when you hear the same info on the bonus disc.)

Moving on to the bonus disc, we're treated to Anthony Hopkins speaking for four minutes about Lecter and how he came to play him originally. The Making of Red Dragon is a 14-minute spiel made for TV to sell it before it hit cinemas. Regardless of this, it’s still fascinating viewing. It’s not nearly as fascinating, however, as Brett Ratner’s Video Diary, compiled on the making of the film from go to whoa. This had me rivetted for 40 minutes while it described various (sometimes seemingly inconsequential) details and hurdles that had to be navigated. It also includes a tiny interview with Frankie Faison who played Barney the Orderly of Lecter’s cell in all four Lecter films. The short grab about Michael Jackson’s visit to the set is also an interesting unrelated part of the diary (though we are left wondering if this is a subtle name-dropping).

There’s also an excellent piece on the ‘Burning Wheelchair’ stunt which runs for three minutes, but again, is gripping watching. Also, don’t miss the way-too-small Visual Effects piece. You will never believe how many ‘invisible’ effects were used in the film. This is the stuff that amplifies the feeling you get while watching a film that you never realise are even there. Fascinating stuff.

There’s also an eight minute piece with actual FBI profiler John Douglas who talks about his early days in the FBI and its Forensic Psychology Department and even profiles Lecter himself.

Then of course there’re your usual host of trailers, teasers (including the soon-to-be-released The Hulk), storyboard comparisons, additional and deleted scenes, alternate versions of scenes and incredible Screen and Film Tests (Look for Edward Norton’s hilarious striptease!). There’s an interesting Make-up Application featurette on the ‘Mirrored-Eyes Effect’ and even Brett Ratner’s Untitled Student Film (I’ll let you be the judge on that one).

This is an immense collection for a two-disc set. It carries itself well with the other DVDs in the trilogy, and comes a very close second to Silence, with Hannibal bringing up a late, late third. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bring them out as a set, but until then, this DVD will keep you busy with a wealth of factual info on the production and a fantastic film to watch again and again.

Eat it up!