Dir: Michael MannRating: R
Cool Quote: "And if one does what God does enough times, one will become as God is."
Recommeded? To any lover of suspense and style that requires you to pay attention to every little detail. I highly recommend this incredibly dark and atmospheric movie.
Tonight I am going to talk about a recently annointed favorite of mine, Michael Mann's "Manhunter" (based on "Red Dragon," the Thomas Harris novel). This film contains the very first cinematic represenation of everybody's favorite smooth-talking serial killer, Hannibal Lector portrayed NOT by Oscar-award winning Anthony Hopkins but by Brian Cox, who gives a very different performance than the one we all know and love (more on that later!). Despite this achievement, nobody really talks too much about "Manhunter" in comparison to "The Silence of the Lambs" and the Hannibal films that came after that and I think that is a shame because, to be honest, I think that "Manhunter" is the best movie of the bunch in terms of style, storytelling and atmosphere.
For those of you who, like me, have not had the pleasure of reading Harris' thriller that provides the basis for the movie's plot, here's the scoop: Will Graham (William Peterson) is an extremely skilled but deeply troubled FBI profiler that has retired and relocated to Florida with his family following an eventful capture of Hannibal Lecktor (spelled this way in the film) that left him with both physical and psychological scars. Unfortunately there is a new serial killer on the loose (dubbed "The Tooth Fairy" by police) that breaks into homes and brutally kills entire families. Desperate for help in apprehending the killer, Graham's old boss Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) convinces him to "pick up the scent" once more and investigate the crimes although his wife (Kim Griest) fears that Graham's uncanny talent for getting inside a killer's head will cause him to have another mental breakdown. Thus begins a nightmarish journey of a man allowing his mind to enter dark places without assurance that it can escape unscathed.
One of the best things about the movie are its characters and how they are established. It doesn't hold your hand regarding these intensely psychological characters and offers only their actions, facial expressions and bits of background detail to the audience so that they can piece together their own profiles of the characters. Their psychologies are intensely detailed and intensely ambiguous at the same time and while some people cannot stand ambiguity I find that it creates a surreal dreamlike atmosphere that attracts me deeply. The character of the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan) for instance is full of little complexities that are revealed in small details of the face, script or set. There are reasons that he does what he does and the specific way the he does it. At the same time, however, important information such as his past are merely implied. In my eyes, this creates a much more disturbing character that is sympathetic at the same time. The character of Will Graham is also one of the biggest puzzles of the movie. As he progressively delves deeper and deeper into the killer's personality, does he become as insane as the rest of them? Once again, the film treats the character with subtlety and detail, leaving out just enough puzzle pieces so that the audience could fill the holes with their own interpretations.
While the film plays out like a typical sleek police thriller full of '80s retro-goodness, it has atmosphere in spades. The plot goes to incredibly dark and disturbing places, giving the movie a nightmarish quality amplified by ambiguity, music and excellent directing. Music is an enourmous part of the movie as it is almost always present. Most scenes are saturated with a light synthesizer score (my personal favorite use of the score are the dreamlike and menacing light twinkling synthesizers during the scene at Hannibal's cell) so that the rare occasions where the music is absent seem incredibly foreboding, even terrifying. Another interesting thing about the movie's music is that it features many songs that were not even made for the movie! I'm talking SONGS with lyrics and everything. In most movies, licensed music is generally played in the background or during a scene with no talking so that an established mood can be emphasized. In "Manhunter," these songs are at the forefront and ESTABLISH the mood and atmosphere. It's difficullt to describe how this music is such an integral part of the movie until you see it for yourself but, rest assured, it works! However, it only works if you take in the music, actors and set as a whole instead of focusing on the music itself because sometimes you can be distracted by its apparent "cheesiness" because these songs are pretty '80s. I'll admit that on the first viewing it didn't quite click with me but I've come to appreciate and marvel at it with time.
Another thing that creates this film's dark and unique atmosphere are the beautiful images created through the teamwork between director Michael Mann and cinematographer Dante Spinotti. Every single shot, whether it's a Florida beach or the depth's of the "Tooth Fairy's" cosmic abode, feels intentional and looks fantastic. A great deal of this is thanks to Spinotti's interesting approach to minimalism and color (somewhat akin to Kubrick). There are many shots that are bathed in blues, greens and whites that help to emphasize a particular mood whether it's comfort or isolation. The editing also takes some surreal turns, especially during a scene at the end that features many jump cuts and identical shots shown at different angles. However, the stylization all feels very meticulous and, as I said before, intentional and really contribute to the atmosphere by taking the psychologies of the characters and visualizing them on screen. It definitely sets the film apart as a work of art.
Lastly, the acting is just on the money, full of subtle nuances that are consistent with the characters. Peterson's Graham is a very downplayed performance, making the moments where we see this "normal guy's" inner demons all the more effective. We see him speak to himself and himself as the killer and we really feel that he is clawing deep into the mind of his prey. However, we also see vulnerability when he is interacting with Lecktor, the man who put him in the psychological ward. Cox's Lecktor is very underappreciated and, in some ways, I feel that it is more frightening than Hopkins'. The Lecktor in "Manhunter" is a straight-faced fast talker who seems like a normal guy, albeit a genius. However, when we couple his appearance with his actions, he becomes positively terrifying in a psychological sense because he could easily blend into any environment. Hopkins is terrifying too but in a less realistic and more supervillain-y sense. Another fantastic performance is Noonan as the serial killer that Graham is hunting. He doesn't get revealed until later in the movie but when he does, he is immediately scary, intriguing and even sad. Noonan manages to blend shyness, insecurity and murderous intent to deftly portray an immensely disturbed character that has real depth. That takes talent.
I cannot recommend this criminally underappreciated movie enough to fans of smart and stylish thrillers (with a bit of 80s flavor) that take the consciousness to dark and surreal places. Fantastic.
