Posted: 02/09/2001

Hannibal

(2001)

by Hank Yuloff

The sequel to Silence of the Lambs lives up, and just maybe surpasses, the original.

Some time last November as the lights grew dim in the movie theater, I saw a trailer I had been waiting for since 1991: the next installment of Silence of the Lambs. I feared for the worse and felt a sense of excitement. I thought, “Pleeeeeease make it worthy of the first one. Don’t sell out for a bad script and kill what still is one of the scariest movies of all time (take a lesson, you Blair Witch pretenders to the throne).”

After having seen the sequel, I’d have to use a quote popular in the South, “This dog can hunt.”

For those of you who were too young the first time here is the nickel tour. Hannibal Lecter is a psychiatrist crossed with an evil genius. He murders and eats his victims. He plays with those who would hunt him and usually makes them the hunted. He is the cat playing with the mouse.

Ten years ago, in Silence of the Lambs, we were introduced to Lecter as a criminal in a maximum security prison who the FBI attempted to use to find a serial killer. Who can forget the phrase, “Quid Pro Quo, Clarice.” Anyway, things did not quite go as the FBI planned and Lecter escapes back into the world. For Hannibal, skip forward 10 years and Lecter has come out of ‘retirement.’ He misses the thrill of the hunt.

That’s all you get of the story from me. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Hannibal is an emotional roller coaster ride. It has it’s moments of dragging, but you are rewarded with the kind of horror that all those Scream—Friday the 13th movies only wish they could have. For sheer terror, I’ll take Lecter over Freddie any day.

You might have heard a few things about this one so I’ll see if I can answer a couple of them and send you on your way to the box office.

-Did you need to see the first one in order to understand Hannibal?

No. But it makes the film more believable because you have the background on the killers.

-Is it gross?

Jeez, the guy is a murderer who eats his victims. What do you think?

-Any redeeming social qualities?

Well, the bad guy gets it in the end.

-How were the characters?

Anthony Hopkins gets right back into the roll of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It fits him like a glove. The gentleman killer. He’s polite, in a homicidal maniac kind of way. However, I think this is the one nemesis that Batman wouldn’t be able to capture.

Julianne Moore (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) plays Agent Clarice Starling and does a terrific job. Great casting. I would have liked to see Jodi Foster reprise the role, but Moore is completely believable as the FBI agent 10 years removed. As played by Moore, Starling is a little more in control of her emotions and a bit wiser to the ways of the world. Both actresses brought the novel’s character to life and gave her a strong, dominating presence.

-Any other good performances?

Ray Liotta (Turbulence, The Rat Pack) turns in another performance where he plays, and I’m sorry but there’s no better way to describe it: “the asshole.” I heard he was not excited about this part, at first. But, judging from his performance, he must have had an ‘open mind’ in order to take the part and play the character so well.

Gary Oldman plays Mason Verger, Lecter’s fourth victim and the only survivor of one of his attacks. It seems he has held a grudge over having his face taken off and wants to get even. This is the evil character that Batman eats for lunch (pardon the pun). Oldman does a marvelous job and his make-up artist was absolutely phenomenal.

-Is it as good as the first installment?

It might not get the Best Picture nod, but it is a great movie that stands up well on its own. There are just enough laughs to get you through the gory stuff and the gory stuff will not quite get you to close your eyes. To my mind, the best way to describe this film comes from the title of an old comedy album, “That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick.”

Well photographed, beautiful music, excellent story and lots of psychological and actual gore. Get a bag of popcorn and settle in for the ride.

Hank Yuloff owns an advertising company in Los Angeles, filling the world with more embroidered polo shirts than should be legal.

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