Monday, October 07, 2002

Red Dragon (IMDB) (Netflix)
The prequel to Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, and a remake of Manhunter. Anthony Hopkins returns as Dr. Lecter, with Edward Norton as the former FBI agent pulled back into the profiling harness. This time Ralph Fiennes (the commandant in Schindler's List) is the psycho, and Emily Watson is a blind woman who unwittingly befriends him.

"Dragon" starts fast and steadily rachets up the squirm factor, and Hopkins is as creepy as ever, but what distinguishes it from the rest of the series is the relationship between Fiennes and Watson, which generates a host of strong emotions. The last big scene will be anticipated by many, but is fresh enough that it works.