Half Man's Deepest Fear is a Jaws Remake

Pretty much everyone who knows me, knows that Jaws is my favourite movie. As such, I get asked a lot about a Jaws remake. How would I feel about it? Who would I cast? Would CGI bug me? Oftentimes they ask me this because they think it will set me off and occasionally, it does send me into a (usually wine fuelled) rant. As time goes by though I've accepted that at some point it may happen. Spielberg has said he'll never remake it which is encouraging but Universal own the rights so who knows? I mean the mighty King Kong has been remade a few times now and even if they don't just flat out remake Jaws they'll probably update it Jurassic World style. More and more movies are becoming less and less sacred so it may just be a matter of time. But truth be told, even with this wretched scenario as a backdrop I can talk Jaws all day so... let's.

                                                 How Would I Feel About A Remake?
Irritated but not surprised. I'd be more worried about further damage done to the legacy. The sequels have somewhat soiled the nest so a remake could be catastrophic. Why? Well, there are fundamental problems with a Jaws remake beyond scripts and actors. Two problems a remake would face is knowledge and over exposure. We know so much about sharks now. Shark Week and the BBC are responsible for some magnificent documentaries and every tourist who decides to get in a cage to see these majestic creatures up close and post it online, every time that happens the mystique is lessened. You see 41 years ago when Jaws hit the cinemas, we knew very little about great white sharks. There was one excellent book out called "Blue Meridian: The Search for the Great White Shark" but not everyone had read it. There were famous photos of people who had been attacked and survived, Rodney Fox and his 460 stitches (see below) was probably more known than Blue Meridian. And people just love the idea of a sea monster. The fact that these "monsters" existed was a bonus. Benchley's novel was a hit and the movie was the biggest movie of all time for a while there.

                                           

So let's just say the Jaws remake happens and Quint takes his rifle and shoots the shark as it swims past the boat. Hooper's line is "Quint don't waste your time" right? Well, actually, we now know that sharks (even large ones) are not immune to gun shot wounds and if by some miracle the fish had survived Quint's rifle, Brody's bullets later on would surely have finished it off. There's a line in Jaws 2 "sharks don't take things personally Mr. Brody" and again with all the knowledge we have about sharks now, how do you go about selling this shark coming back time and again to attack the Orca (Quint's boat). We're all shark savvy now, it wouldn't play well with younger audiences especially those of a "Shark Tale" disposition. The reason Jaws got away with it back then was because we just didn't know any better and the reason it gets away with it today is because the movie is so fucking wonderful at getting you fully invested in the characters and the story that you just forget that this just wouldn't happen... Would a remake get you so invested? Unlikely.

                                                                        Special FX
The giant turd Bruce the shark, named after Spielberg's lawyer, just didn't work anything like as well as it was meant to but as we all know by now this worked in the movie's favour. It forced the guys to come up with more inventive ideas to make you believe the shark was there and supported by John Williams pulsating and terrifying score this brought near unbearable levels of nerve shredding suspense. A remake in the current climate would have to include a CGI shark. A few years ago this would have bothered me but having seen the incredible work done by the FX team in charge of the whale in Ron Howard's underrated "In The Heart of the Sea" I'd have to say that a CGI shark would be fine. But then we get into the ease of the creation becoming a problem. Jaws worked in spite of itself. Everything on the shoot was hard. It pushed the crew to limits they never knew they had. I have no doubt that a remake of Jaws would become a shark heavy, attack fest. What we gained in character development in Jaws would, most likely, be lost in a sea of monster moments.

                                                               Who Would I Cast?
Uncastable!!! It's not that there aren't good actors out there who could do the a good job with these characters, it's just the chemistry produced by Scheider, Shaw and Dreyfuss in the second half of the movie is palpable. Shaw famously gave Dreyfuss a torrid time on set. Did this come across on screen? You fuckin' bet your ass it did...

Did that stop Dreyfuss from thinking Shaw was a god? No. Did that come across on screen? You fuckin' bet your ass it did...

By the way if you ever get a chance to watch "The Making of Jaws" take it. It's a completely absorbing documentary and Dreyfuss is a joy to listen to. I'd say he's dined out on Jaws almost every day since it hit cinemas, deservedly so too I'd have to say.

These days actors are a lot more precious. There's just no way this movie would be made in this way today. Could three guys find the same level of connection? Again, unlikely. Still, if it had to happen I'd go Kyle Chandler for Brody. For Hooper I'd go Joseph Gordon Levitt and for Quint I'd go Kurt Russell. 

I can't really see Russell giving JGL any shit on set as he's apparently a complete delight but he does rugged and tough very well. These three guys are all accomplished actors. Russell has starred in some of the very best movies we'll ever see and his range is unquestionable. He's probably more talented than Robert Shaw was but I just can't get past Shaw for Quint. That nails on a chalkboard introduction might be the coolest movie entrance of all time and his Indianapolis speech is the best five minutes of cinema I've ever witnessed. Quint is Shaw, Shaw is Quint. Listen, The Taking Of Pelham 123 (directed by Joseph Sargent who also directed the terrible Jaws: The Revenge) is a fine movie and Shaw is great in it but when I hear the name Robert Shaw, Quint dominates my thoughts. No matter who got this role, they'd be up against it. Russell would ease the pain though.


As for Joseph Gordon Levitt as Hooper. It really is harder to cast Hooper than you'd think. Hooper's main characteristics: he's cleverer than the other two. He's charming and he's funny. But crucially, he's tougher than Brody and Quint believed. "Bring another barrel, I'm coming around again" he screams as they attack the shark. Then there's the immortal line, "you got any better suggestions?" just before he goes down to face the shark in his cage. I don't think for one second that JGL could produce a performance as effective as Dreyfuss but if it's funny, charming with a gritty layer underneath I think he's the best we've got. The Liam Hemsworth's of the world are fucking miles away from being able to pull this off.


Oddly enough, as much as I love Brody and feel Scheider absolutely nailed the role, I'd be confident that Kyle Chandler's "ordinary family man in extraordinary situation" effort from Super 8 proves he could pull this off quite easily. I mean look at him, he may as well be wearing a "you're gonna need a bigger boat" t shirt. He's gruff, tough but loves his family. There really couldn't be  anyone else for Brody.

                                                        

                                                            
                                                            
                                                                   Writer, Director, Editor, DP
Just thinking about this is making my eye twitch with anger but for the purposes of this blog, I'll play. I'm going to try to balance between wishful thinking (which is odd for a project I hope never sees the light of day) and realistic...
Writing this would be a huge burden. Fans of the movie would know enough to not want to do it. But who knows, maybe Drew Goddard would take a pass at it. That'd be my go to guy. He wrote a fine script in Cloverfield which, as you know, is a monster movie with limited monster visuals (just like Jaws). With The Cabin in the Woods he showed he can do horror with a dose of cheeky humour and he can do tense and likable which he absolutely perfected with The Martian. Daredevil was also a dose of genre bending brilliance and showed real dynamism.
Director? My fear would be McG or some fucking upstart like him. McG has never made anything but garbage. Bryan Singer might feel protective enough to rescue a Jaws remake. Jaws is his favourite movie but I suspect he loves it too much and knows better than to take it on. JJ Abrams is just wishful thinking. That man has nothing to prove and would be too smart to go here. So who then? I really liked Godzilla and the fact that they didn't oversell the monster in that one. Gareth Edwards would probably be the best we could hope for. He and Goddard would be a decent team to throw together.
Editor? One of the things casual observers miss about Jaws is just how perfectly edited the picture is. The Academy didn't miss it though and rightly gave Verna Fields an Oscar for her astounding work. A simple example of her genius is the amazing scene where the shark basically eyeballs Brody right after he throws some chum out to sea...

You get maybe two seconds of shark on the original breach of water. It's plenty. Any more and you'd have seen too much and the effect would have been diminished. The simple cut of Brody walking back into the relative sanctuary of the boat to the next cut where we see Quint in the foreground as Brody walks in where he delivers cinemas greatest line... it's a fucking master class of timing and delivery by all concerned. Scheider is wonderful here, Fields (affectionately known on set as Mother Cutter) must have been on cloud nine putting this all together. There's a lot of talent out there that could do a decent job of editing. Michael Kahn would be ideal but I suspect he'd pass. He does work with Spielberg after all. Pietro Scalia would be solid enough.
As for Director of Photography, again I think we're struggling to find anyone to match the genius of Bill Butler. Much of Jaws is shot at water level (which is why I think it would be a stunning 3D IMAX experience) and Butler was basically inventing cameras to continue to shoot this way. He deserves as much credit as anyone for how terrifying the movie is. DP's are tough, my heart says Dean Cundey but my head says Jeff Cronenweth as he is the best in the business right now.
                                                                        Score
Obviously Williams would be the dream candidate but I suspect he'd be paid for the use of his theme and someone else would be hired to "update" it. Hans Zimmer, you'd have to think, would have too much love for film to do this. My choice would be Alan Silvestri but again he'd probably be above all this. Thomas Newman would be well able for it too. The thing is, the score has been done by Williams and no matter what brilliance is put into this movie it would be dominated by "that" theme. But then Newman has done a great job with the recent Bond movies. They also have classic themes and Newman's work, while excellent, is never intrusive.

So there it is. There's the blue print for some great white death. Some excellent names it must be said and if these people all came together to make an original creature feature, then I'd be first in line to buy a ticket. As previously stated, I believe this is only a matter of time. Jaws is a property that can make money. If a movie is made to target teenagers who have never seen Jaws, then there's huge potential for a big opening weekend and as much as I hate to say it, it may even entertain its audience. The rest of us would probably feel a little repulsed though. Look at the list of remakes from that era that have been awful... There's just no way a remake could reel us in (ahem) the way the original did. "But Graham, isn't there a chance it could be as good as the original?" No, not even a little chance.

Farewell and adieu,

G.

Arkham Evil

Time for another video game blog. It'll be short as I am only reviewing two games.

                                                               Resident Evil Zero
As you know, I'm a big fan of the Resident Evil series and in particular the first two games which, in my humble opinion, are right up there with Silent Hill 2 for survival horror perfection. When Resident Evil Zero came out back in 2002 (I think) I couldn't play it as I was a Playstation guy and it was a Gamecube exclusive. I'm still a Playstaion guy and so it was with some excitement that I learned about a remake coming to PS4. I knew very little about RE Zero but it was an immediate buy from the PS Store when it arrived.

As it turns out RE Zero is a prequel to the original game. I won't give away too much in the way of plot (not that it matters) but I will talk about how the game feels. Crucially, RE Zero has that classic resi feel. You start off using Rebecca on a zombie infested train and everything just feels right with the world. It's a new Resident Evil for you to explore... Then you bump into escaped convict Billy Coen and it becomes apparent that this will be a team game. You'll switch between both characters to progress and some puzzles will be suited to Billy, others to Rebecca. Nothing to worry about so far.

One criticism aimed at early Resident Evil games is the inventory system. You could carry some items and store the rest in a safe room. There were multiple safe rooms and storing your items in any Safe Room meant items would also be in all safe rooms. It wasn't ideal but compared to the system used in RE Zero, it's fucking miraculous! In RE Zero, Billy and Rebecca can carry 6 itmes each but once their inventory is full they can't carry anymore and there are no safe rooms to store your items which means you need to drop items and use the map to track items you've either left behind or completely forgotten about.

What I did was designate one room in each section to be my safe room. It means dropping items all over the place and often times you'd go to pick up one item and end up getting another but it was the only way to keep a reasonable handle on all the shit you pick up. It also means there is back tracking in this game and that is a pain in the arse! Okay, Resident Evil has always had an element of back tracking but safe rooms meant you could go to the nearest room to get your item. There's no such luxury here. Some sadists will say it's more realistic, well in a game featuring giant scorpions and all manner of "never gonna happen" scenarios, I found it eye twitchingly annoying.

And so to the good! As previously stated, RE Zero definitely has that unmistakable Resident Evil vibe to it. The close quarters battles with zombies, zombie dogs, hunters, giant spiders etc. There's some new creatures too, highlights include a giant man eating bat and some fast moving apes. Wesker, of course, turns up and those classic Resident Evil voice overs are as comfortingly terrible as ever!

The weapons are still a joy to use. Pumping creatures full of shotgun damage never gets old, using the magnum is still a treat, though it should be saved for tougher creatures. The grenade launcher also makes a welcome return. As ever, matching the right weapon to the right creature makes things a lot easier. Another addition are Molotov cocktails which are very effective against one particular creature made up of leeches (see above).

The puzzles are also classic Resident Evil type puzzles. They won't tax your brain too much but they do manage to be very satisfying when you solve them.

In closing, Resident Evil Zero has some truly excellent moments. There are thrills here to rival that of your favourite moments from Resident Evil 1 and 2. But, and it is a significant but, the inventory system is truly horrendous. Resident Evil is at its best when you're killing monsters and opening up new areas to explore. What you don't need is to be told to backtrack frickin' miles in order to pick up a grappling hook (which will take up two fucking spaces in your inventory) in order to proceed... it kills the flow, utterly. If they'd even used safe rooms it would have been better but leaving you to guess which items to bring with is just terrible. "Do I need these shotgun shells now, how about this key?" There's no way of knowing...  This should have been a 9/10 game. However, as much as I enjoyed it, I'm docking two points for the horrid inventory system: 7/10. Trophy count: 36%

                                                              Arkham Knight
When last I game blogged I mentioned I had just started Arkham Knight and while I was enjoying it, my progress was being hampered by my rubbish attempts to control the Batmobile. I'm pleased to say that I got pretty good with the Bat tank and actually came to enjoy blowing shit up and solving puzzles with it. Yes, there are some contrived sections of the game where the Batmobile is forced into use but you can also say that about all of Batman's many gadgets.

I can't really speak highly enough of this game. Graphically it is a triumph, voice overs are absolutely first rate and the story lines are enjoyable too. Batman faces all of his demons here, some living: Scarecrow, the Arkham Knight, Firefly, Two Face, Penguin, to name but a few. Some dead. All of them in his head. It is a pleasure unravelling each story to conclusion and throwing Gotham scum into GCPD jail cells.

Game play wise, if you liked the previous games in the series, you'll enjoy this too. Beating the shit out of hordes of Gotham gangs is handy enough (as it should be) but the game expects you to use all of the Bat's tools in order to solve the puzzles. The toughest of these puzzles are, as you'd expect, put together by The Riddler. He has kidnapped Catwoman and you must negotiate some truly gravity defying driving tests and should the mood take you, there are 243 riddles across Gotham for you to solve... this is the only way to get to The Riddler. I did it and while it was a pain in the brain, the pay off was well worth it.

Having completed Arkham Knight (100% no less), I'm messing around with some DLC now. Season of Infamy was decent without being amazing. Four popular adversaries have to be brought to justice, you'll probably do it in one sitting but it's still fun. I've also done the Harley Quinn level (about 20 minutes) kind of pointless truth be told. GCPD Lockdown featuring Nightwing isn't much better and is even shorter. The rest of the DLC is mostly made up of challenge packs which I've no interest in and costume changes which again, I don't care about. I'm going to get into A Matter of Family next which has you controlling Batgirl, meh. I'll do the Catwoman DLC too because she's awesome and Red Hood because even though I've no idea who that is, I'm told it's good fun. This may all seem like a lot of gaming but it'll be a few hours at the most. Truth be told, you don't need all this DLC and I'm only killing time with it until Uncharted 4 hits in a couple of weeks. If anything the DLC is a distraction from the brilliance that is the main game. That's where the meat is and a wonderful serving it is too. Highly recommended!

Score: 9/10 Trophy count: 81%

Cheers,

G.

                                                                

Why I Love Movies (Hannibal Edition)

“He woke her then, and trembling and obedient, she ate that burning heart out of his hand. Weeping, I saw him then depart from me. Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for her? Find nourishment in the very sight of her? I think so. But would she see through the bars of his plight, and ache for him?”

Some people hate the "beauty and the beast" vibe of Hannibal. As you know, the beast is cured by the end of Disney's masterpiece. Hannibal Lecter's appetites, however, can only be sated by Clarice Starling. Everyone else, remains firmly on the menu.

It's impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning Silence of the Lambs. It was an excellent adaptation of an amazing book. Thomas Harris could easily have gone down the copy and paste route but he decided to try something completely different. When I read Hannibal, I didn't think they'd be able to make a movie out of it. That they kept so much of it in the movie is impressive but they cleverly omitted things that simply couldn't work... like the ending which I will not ruin here for anyone who hasn't read it. Suffice to say, it's different... very different. Adapted by David Mamet and perfected by Steve Zaillian under the watchful eye of, director, Ridley Scott, the writers embraced the horror aspects, toned down the lovey dovey stuff a little and threw in a dash of dark humour to fill the gaps. It didn't work for everyone, but it certainly did for me.

Let's get the gripes out of the way. The main criticism thrown at the movie is that it isn't as good as Silence of the Lambs. No shit, so few movies are. Next. Julianne Moore isn't as good a Clarice as Jodi Foster. Again, no shit. Foster put in one of the best performances any of us will ever see. Moore was never going to reach those heights with the same character, nobody could... Other critics didn't like the excessive gore. Precious little fuckers, aren't they. What were they expecting, Pixar? This is Hannibal Lecter running wild and for the record, the scenes they are talking about are superbly done but I'll get to those later. Style over substance is another criticism and while I agree with it, I don't really see that as a problem because the style is so beautiful. Also, I'm shallow so there's that.

So what's it all about? Clarice Starling has been blamed for a bungled drug bust and while it clearly wasn't her fault, she is disliked within the FBI and they want her "handled". Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta) takes it upon himself to deal with her and dangles Hannibal Lecter in front of her. Lecter has been on the run since his dramatic escape ten years ago but a new piece of evidence has popped up and a victim of his who survived (but probably wishes he hadn't) Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) would like Clarice to bring him to justice. Lecter left Verger (a child molester) horribly disfigured, confined to a wheelchair and eating food through a straw (see pic) being waited on by his man servant, Cordell (huge credit to Zeljko Ivanek for making something out of a nothing part). Some fans complained that having Lecter punish awful people diminished his scariness. Lecter out of his cage is a different animal. Imagining what he could do in the world is obviously scarier than seeing him actually do it. The question here is, is it entertaining? The answer is a resounding yes.

We find Lecter in his element. Living it up in Florence, working as a curator in a beautiful library. The previous curator has "gone missing" and Lecter, under the alias of Dr. Fell, has taken over curatorship. He is questioned about this missing person by Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini). Pazzi is a seasoned investigator and senses Dr. Fell may be hiding something. He is right of course but he doesn't notice the good doctor noticing him...

Pazzi finds Dr. Fell on the FBI's most wanted list under his real name, Hannibal Lecter. The reward for his capture (put up by Mason Verger) is millions and if secured Pazzi's wife, Allegra (Francesca Neri), accurately described as a "pretty young wife with the ever open beak" by one of his colleagues, would be more inclined to stay with him. He forces a pick pocket to get Lecter's finger prints. The criminal succeeds but at the cost of his life. Pazzi, armed with the finger prints gets an advance on the reward. Mason Verger sends his henchmen to Florence to capture Lecter. Lecter lures Pazzi to Palazzo Veccio to kill him (which he does along with several of Verger's goons) but what neither man knows is, Clarice has been tracking both men from America. It brings about a really great scene:

"When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a runnin', but not to help" - Mason Verger.

Lecter leaves Florence and heads back to the USA. He tracks Krendler and sets up base in his countryside home. He hits up a nearby hospital and steals some equipment, you know, skull drill and the like... Meanwhile, Verger may have failed in Florence but he on home turf now. He pays Krendler to cut Starling loose thus making her helpless and irresistible to Lecter. Starling, having failed to save Pazzi or capture Lecter is now vulnerable. Krendler plants a letter supposedly from Lecter to Clarice in her evidence stash and when it is found she is suspended. Starling goes from vulnerable to helpless. Lecter drops the ball briefly here. He decides to tackle those who are destroying Starling. He does this for his own amusement, yes, but he does feel something for Clarice. He admires the fact that she is incorruptible in the face of utter corruption and it is making him lose perspective. He needs to see her, to speak to her and so he lures her to Union Station to do both. Unfortunately, while perving on her, he is captured by the few remaining Verger henchmen who have also been watching Starling. She sees him tazed and kidnapped.

Verger: "So does Lecter wanna fuck her, kill her or eat her?" Cordell: "Probably all three, though I wouldn't wanna predict in what order".

Back at Chateau Verger, Lecter is told, rather hilariously it must be said, by Mason Verger how he will die. He is to be fed to a bunch huge prize pigs, trained to react to human screaming. Lecter doesn't flinch, even when he is told he will be served feet first. Going against FBI orders, Starling heads over to Verger's where Hannibal is being lowered into a pit filled with hungry pigs. Starling bursts in and shoots a couple of asshole henchmen. She and Lecter share some fun dialogue. Starling is then shot in the shoulder by one of Verger's guys and passes out. In come the pigs but Hannibal takes control, rescues Starling and sets Cordell free:

Bye, bye Mason Verger. I was actually sad to see him go. Oh I know he was awful, I know he deserved it and I knew he'd never get the better of Hannibal Lecter... BUT... he was fucking funny! Sadly, the critics didn't agree. They hated the dark humour and it left many audience members cold too. They wanted Silence of the Lambs again and this wasn't that. What they seemed to miss though was just how wonderful Gary Oldman was as Mason Verger. The make up fx are stunning but underneath that, Oldman managed to make him more than just a horror story. There's a scene in the movie where he hangs up on Krendler and calls him a cocksucker with Ian McKellen level of conviction and it absolutely slays me... every single time. He's an incredible character and it's a quality performance.

Many people seemed to be immune to Hopkins as Lecter this time around too. I thought he was magnificent. He delivered his lines with real relish (pun intended) and it was genuinely interesting to see him using Dante's Sonnet (quoted at the top of the blog) as a way of explaining his feelings about Clarice. It is kind of beautiful actually. But everyone wanted the terror inducing Lecter they got in Lambs. That's fair enough but it couldn't be delivered once he was out of his cage. However, what you lose in suggestion you gain with some memorable, macabre scenes.

"This is from the Guinness Book of World Records, congratulating me on being the female FBI Agent who has shot and killed the most people." - Clarice Starling.

Julianne Moore does a fine job as Starling. There's nothing wrong with her performance but everyone wanted Foster. She had turned it down. She says it was over content, the producers say it was over money... So we got a talented replacement on a hiding to nothing. I enjoyed her take on it. While she never reached the Oscar winning heights of Foster's performance, it is thoroughly engaging and one thing she does have over Foster is this: She's hot! Like I said earlier, I'm shallow...

Music also plays a huge part in this film. Hans Zimmer's finger prints are everywhere and it blends wonderfully with the feel of the movie. Crucially, Dante's Sonnet is put to music and the work done by Zimmer and Patrick Cassidy for this is the heart of the movie. It is beautiful, melancholic and doomed. Like Hannibal and Starling. When Lecter quotes the sonnet to Allegra Pazzi, he is talking about himself and Starling. The music had to stack up to the sonnet while conveying Hannibal's emotions. A tough task for sure but they succeed and it is glorious! Have a listen:



On with the movie. Lecter takes an unconscious Starling back to his base of operations... Paul Krendler's house. He treats her wounds, puts her to bed and drugs her so she cannot leave. Krendler turns up and Lecter drugs him too. What happens next is where you lose half your audience. Lecter makes dinner, a beautiful spread it must be said... until... Starling wakes up and calls the cops while in the background the equipment Lecter stole from the hospital can be heard is use. Starling enters the dining room in a beautiful evening dress. Krendler is at the head of the table where he looks a little worse of wear in a baseball cap.

"This is really gonna hurt" - Hannibal Lecter

Starling's lame attempt to subdue Lecter with a candlestick holder fails. Krendler is his usual rude self and Lecter takes off Krendler's cap. It is apparent now that Lecter has cut open Krendler's skull and is about to expose the brain. Lecter still manages to find humour in this cracking a joke about the prefrontal lobe otherwise known as the seat of good manners which Krendler won't miss... I laughed but cinema going folk and critics were reacting more like Starling who was trying not to puke. It is disgusting but also hilarious. It is a comeuppance hard earned by Krendler and watching Hannibal enjoying himself is delightful. Feeding Krendler his own brain was too much for some. I thought it was exactly what we sat in the seat to see... It must be said that Lecter knows Starling better than anyone and reminds her that she is better than the FBI scum who have destroyed her and that he admires her for her incorruptibility. Krendler is close to expiration by now and Lecter retires to the kitchen. Starling follows and attacks him. He traps her hair in the refrigerator door and she can't escape. At no point did I believe Lecter would harm her. He understands here that he can never have her, even if he eats her, she'll never be his. It's a hard paradox for him to swallow (ahem). Her bravery and righteousness are precisely why he wants her in the world but these are also the reasons why she'll never stop coming after him. And then we hear it... click... she has handcuffed herself to him. He cannot escape. Hopkins is amazing here. Lecter is stunned, she knows what he is but she has chosen to handcuff herself to him for the greater good. He then panics as much as Hannibal Lecter can panic. "Now that's really interesting, I really am pressed for time, where's the key". He already knows she'll never tell him... incorruptible... he is screwed. Hannibal picks up a meat clever and asked Starling if she wants it above or below the wrist. We already know he won't hurt her. He escapes... minus one hand.

I was riveted, absolutely glued to the screen. I'd never seen such a twisted love story portrayed on screen. I mean, he fed a guy his brain for the woman he loves, I guess that kind of sums Hannibal Lecter up. It could have been a schlockfest in the wrong hands but Ridley Scott is far too skilful for that. He knows this scene is too much but he also knows he can make it look amazing... and he does. Zallian deserves huge credit too. I still laugh at the exchanges between Lecter and Krendler. He is the perfect victim for Hannibal. We hate the guy and Lecter sees him as crud. It's perfect and Liotta does the slimey bastard thing very well.

The movies ends with Hannibal on a plane feeding a curious kid some of Paul Krendler's brain. Yep, it's that kind of movie.

Ultimately, what keeps me coming back to it is the relationship between Lecter and Clarice. He basically wears his heart on his sleeve while she is more guarded, only very occasionally and very subtly showing feelings for him. I thought I'd save my favourite scene in the movie for last... Dear Clarice:

Cheers,

G.