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Red Dragon – Collector’s Edition

The movie begins with the capture of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) by FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton). However, the capture isn't a simple, "Put your hands up"; both Lecter and Graham are seriously wounded. Lecter ends up in his famous cell and Graham retires from the FBI. But when a new series of serial murders begins, Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel), Graham's boss, convinces Graham to come back to work for the agency to help them find the killer they are calling 'The Tooth Fairy'. Graham returns to the FBI but in working on the case he must request the help of Lecter. Lecter, who has become infamous for his murders, is also contacted by the Tooth Fairy who considers himself to be the incarnation of Blake's Red Dragon. Graham has to work out the details and connections to figure out who the killer is while dealing with the psychological manipulations of Lecter. The result is a climactic scene similar to the beginning of the movie when Lecter is captured.***

The only problem I had with this movie is I wasn't sure Edward Norton was the perfect fit for an FBI agent. I really like Norton in his sundry roles (American History X, Fight Club, etc.) but, there was just something about him as a serial killer profiler that didn't work perfectly; I just wasn't as convinced that he was being played with psychologically as I was when Jodi Foster was toyed with by Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Otherwise, the acting was great. Anthony Hopkins continues his excellent portrayal of Hannibal Lecter, but I particularly enjoyed Ralph Fiennes who was convincingly very disturbed.***

I read the book Hannibal before watching the movie and was very disappointed by the movie. I haven't read Red Dragon, so I don't know how they compare. However, from my past experience reading Thomas Harris novels, I'm guessing that the book is probably better than the movie.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is very well done. There are no noticeable compression artifacts and the colors, though mostly subdued and dark for the somber feel of the movie, are vibrant and very clear. ***

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, complimented by Danny Elfman’s score, adds to the aura of the film. The surround sound effects are evident throughout and there are no problems with background sound or music overwhelming the highly important dialogue. However, the dubbed Spanish and French tracks, which are only in 2.0, do have a tendency to overwhelm any background sound. For the full experience you have to watch this in the default English 5.1, resulting in a less-enthralling experience for anyone that requires the Spanish or French.

There is probably somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of additional feature footage from the featurettes and documentaries. ”The Making of Red Dragon” was informative and highlighted some of the basic processes involved, but was not so long that you lost interest. The two featurettes, “Anthony Hopkins: Lecter and Me” and “Inside the mind of a Serial Killer hosted by John Douglas” were both engaging, though they lacked depth and details. Anthony Hopkins’s piece doesn’t really reveal much about his portrayal of Lecter, though he does offer a few interesting tidbits about his oddities as an actor, like having to read a script 250 times before performing it. The second featurette, which is really just an interview with the FBI serial killer profiler John Douglas, was perhaps too short. Though a lot of information is given, it is not very detailed and could have been supplemented by some personal experiences he may have had with some of the individuals that he had interviewed. ***

For the true Hannibal Lecter fan there is an extensive listing of his activities in “Lecter’s FBI File and Life History”, including summaries of the dialogue from this movie. There are a number of deleted, alternate, and extended scenes; all offering a bit more than what is in the movie. The production notes extend what is covered in “The Making of Red Dragon” with additional information for the serious movie buff. Overall the additional features of the DVD offer a serious amount of additional information that tends to cater toward fans of Hannibal Lecter but also offers ample information about the movie making process and serial killers in general