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Manhunter - 2 disc Director's Cut Limited Edition


Reviewed by: Charles J. Amadori
Genre: Horror
Video: Disc 1 - Theatrical Version; Anamorphic 2.35:1 Disc 2 - Director's Cut; Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio: Disc 1 - THX English 5.1 Dolby Digital, 2 channel Dolby Surround Disc 2 - English 2 Channel Dolby Surround
Language: English
Subtitle: English
Length: Disc 1 - 121 minutes, Disc 2 - 124 minutes
Rating: Disc 1 - R for strong violence, language, adult themes Disc 2 - Unrated
Release Date: January 30, 2001
Studio: Anchor Bay
Commentary: None
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: The Manhunter Look, A conversation with Cinematographer Dante Spinotti; Inside Manhunter with William Peterson, Joan Allen, Brian Cox and Tom Noonan
Filmography/Biography: Talent Bios
Interviews: In the Featurettes
Trailers/TV Spots: Theatrical Trailer
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: The Director's Cut has three additional minutes including an extended ending
Music Video: None
Other: Collector's Booklet with stills and case files
Cast and Crew: William Peterson, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Tom Noonan, Dennis Farina, Steven Lang
Screenplay by: Michael Mann adapted from Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon
Produced by: Dino DeLaurentiis, Richard A. Roth, Bernard Williams
Directed By: Michael Mann
Music: Michael Rubini
The Review: Most people don't know that this 1986 movie is actual part one in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy. Sure there's no Clarice Starling, and Scottish born actor, Brian Cox, plays Hannibal. Nevertheless, this film is still pretty good, but very different from the two sequels. Director Mann (Insider, Heat) adapted the story in a highly stylized manner. His Miami Vice roots slip out with the colored lights and shadow manipulation. Retired Agent Will Graham (William Peterson), made a name for himself when he captured Hannibal Lector, but nearly lost his mind in the process. He is called out of retirement to track a new psycho branded "The Tooth Fairy" The one person who may be able to help him is the one and only Hannibal Lector. If Lector gets in Will's head again can Will keep his sanity? Cox is not bad as Lector, but by no means is he Hopkins. Dennis Farina plays the same role as Scott Glenn in Silence. The narrative of this film was more cerebral than SOTL. Which doesn't work quite as well. SOTL was in your face, which worked better with this storyline. The Director's Cut has an added scene at the end where Will confronts the people who were to be the "Tooth Fairy's" next victims. A good scene that should have been kept in the Theatrical cut.
Image and Sound Great transfer. Looks like it was made in 1996, not 1986. Colors are vibrant, especially with the lighting and Cinematography. The 5.1 track is decent, could be better. The synthesizer music sounds pretty good. Anchor Bay continues to impress me with their transfers. Disc 2 - Big problem here. This transfer looks like an old VHS. It is blurry and grainy. Colors are weak and faded and blacks aren't very black. It looks like a completely different movie. The print looks like it was untouched since 1986, left to deteriorate. Almost like one of those cheap Diamond transfers. The sound is not very clear. It almost sounds mono. It's that bad. I don't know what Anchor Bay was thinking. Most people, myself included, prefer Director's Cuts. So why not spend a little more time on the transfer. They did the same thing with the Supergirl 2 disc set. Disappointing.
The Extras Anchor Bay likes to throw in the kitchen sink on their Limited Editions, which is a great thing. This edition was pretty good. It was limited to only 100,000 copies. The two featurettes give a pretty good insight into the making of the film. Areas covered were casting, adaptation, Hannibal Lector, Camera work, lighting, special effects and more. The interviews with cast and crew were a nice touch. Brian Cox has a nice story about the press twisting around what he said in an interview. The trailer is a basic thing and even bare bones DVD's have them now. The chapter search is quite plain, could have used a little spice. The Collector's booklet is in the shape of a file folder. It has some pretty good stills and case file info in William Peterson's handwriting.
Commentary With various cast and crew in the featurettes
Final Words: A great Limited Edition. Only qualm is the poor transfer of the superior than the Theatrical cut, Director's Cut. The additional footage added depth to the characters. The extra scene in the end makes Will Graham appear to truly care about the victims. I liked it. The film is not as good as Silence of the Lambs, but is on level with Hannibal. Hannibal Lector was underused in this movie. The "Tooth Fairy" was creepy but, he does not come close to "Buffalo Bill." Manhunter didn't make much money. As a result, Dino DeLaurentiis passed on producing SOTL. I'm sure he was kicking himself for that decision. He learned his lesson and bought the rights to Hannibal. This is a good DVD to add to your collection, if you're a horror aficionado or a fan of the Hannibal Lector character.


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 June 17, 2001