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.
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