This October, for the spooky scawy season, instead of considering one horror movie, I opted for a trilogy. Given that The Silence of the Lambs came out in 1991 (making this year its 35th anniversary), the sequel exactly 10 years later (hence its 25th anniversary) and the thirds part the following year, today we will be talking about Hannibal.
Now, I will not be going into details, listing the different actors and directors for each part of the series given that it was a bit of a hectic production and you can easily find the info with two clicks from this IMDB page. Each movie had a different director (notable mention to Ridley Scott for the second one), Jodie Foster refused to play the role of Clarice Starling for the second part and the third instalment comes narratologically before the first two. Regardless, in the trilogy there is one pivotal element: Hannibal the Cannibal himself as interpreted by Anthony Hopkins.
I assume that at this point, many have already seen the movies, they are classics for a reason, so I will not bore you by talking about the plot points. Furthermore, we are speaking about movies that are in the ‘psychological thriller’ and ‘murder mystery’ genre, so explaining what transpires kinda takes all the wind from their proverbial sail.
With that said and done, I do – at the very least – want to say something about the main protagonist himself (obviously speaking about Hannibal). Anthony Hopkins always had, even in his older years, an unsettling talent for depicting characters that are quintessentially psychopaths. With his kind expression and calm tone of voice, at a first glance he is unassuming; for this reason, revealing point for the many psychotic characters that he played manages always to hit just right. Specifically, in Hannibal (supported by a well written script), he combines the figure of the charming intellectual with that of a deranged murderer; he is able to kill someone just as easily with his bare hands or make them commit suicide by simply talking to them. There is so much to dissect just from the few scenes that he is onscreen: from the figure of a mentor, to that of a man of taste (obvious pun), from that of a keen observer to that of a cold-blooded killer who has a code of honor. Regardless, as much as one may admire his way of thinking and talking – there is an incredible charm to his mannerisms – it is impossible to forget that the man butchered a flutist of the Baltimore Orchestra because he played poorly.
For the purpose of this article, I only considered the canonical trilogy. Yes, I know that Hannibal Rising, the book, is also part of the series, but I can’t but feel that it is not on par with the other ones. Also, at least a sentence should be spared to the 1986 movie Manhunter, which was the first to adapt The Red Dragon; unfortunately it had less known actors and probably also less budged work with so it is almost unknown (at least in comparison). Speaking about adaptations, it is also impossible not to mention the 2013-2015 series; Mads Mikkelsen is a fantastic actor and portrays the character of Hannibal in a fascinating way, one that however would warrant a separate article altogether.
I give the trilogy an 8 out of 10 ‘you don’t want Hannibal Lecter inside your head’.