Review Archives

1 | 2 | 3

Today's Date is:

Manhunter - Restored Director's Cut

Before Thomas Harris's infamous character Hannibal Lecter became a marketing tool for the masses accustomed to seeing Anthony Hopkins behind a pane of glass, he remained but a mere side show in Michael Mann's "Manhunter," the 1986 precursor to the 1991 smash "The Silence of the Lambs." And much like Jonathan Demme, Mann is intent on keeping a reserved approach to the material rather than going overboard with stylistic flourishes and a trash heap of unneeded violence and gore. Here, Lecter (or as it is spelled here, Lecktor, played by Brian Cox) is seen in but a few scenes as he aids FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen) in his search for a serial killer nicknamed "The Tooth Fairy," whose methodical and ritualistic murders of two families has the bureau up to its knees in dead-end clues and evidence that doesn't really lend much to solving the case. Meanwhile, Lecktor's correspondence with the killer leads to the endangerment of Graham's own family, thus diminishing any reservations he once had about finishing the case. ***

The absence of actor Hopkins already a given, there remains a vast chasm of contrast between this version of Harris's novel and that of the 2002 remake "Red Dragon." Although the plot is similar in structure and exposition, the manner in which Mann carries the material forward is much less focused on the flashy bravura that director Brent Spiner brought to his telling of the tale. Everything seems much more reserved, and as a result is much more impacting as a whole. Character relationships are free from the cult following that Spiner was hoping to satisfy by bulking up the Hannibal scenes in his film; here, there is a strong central core in the relationship between Graham and his family, something the movie benefits from greatly. Performances are all-around stellar, including Kim Greist as Graham's devoted wife, Dennis Farina as Jack Crawford, and an especially creepy turn by Tom Noonan as our killer. Though it may have dissipated in the shadows of the success of later films following the world's favorite cannibal, "Manhunter" remains a well-built example of a thriller done right.

For this third release of "Manhunter" on DVD, Anchor Bay has utilized a first-ever transfer process known as "DiViMax," quoted on the rear cover art as delivering "state-of-the-art picture quality." Of course, the end result seems anything but, as there is a tremendous abundance of edge enhancement halos visible throughout the presentation. Clarity is good despite the fatal flaw, while color saturation and contrast are also in decent shape as well. An opening disclaimer prior to the movie informs us of the added material's crude appearance throughout the presentation: those who want to know what scenes are new and which remain intact from previous releases should have no trouble here, as much of the deleted scenes are grainy, noisy, and look inconsistent from the rest of the film. Generally pleasing, and certainly an improvement over the previous release of the director's cut edition, but definitely not the optimum quality its DiViMax logo paints it to be. ***

Taking a step down from the previous editions is the soundtrack, which is mastered in Dolby 2.0 Surround, and not 5.1 like the previous director's cut release. The track can be pleasing in places, and during the more intense moments the music takes on an aggressive quality that fills out the soundfield nicely, surrounds, low end .1 LFE, the works. But the dialogue sounds less like a theatrical feature and more like an old television production, and sound effects are dated and lacking in clarity. Disappointing.