Manhunter

Starring: William Petersen, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan

Synopsis:

When a serial killer dubbed by the police as The Tooth Fairy strikes for a second time, FBI special agent Jack Crawford (Farina) coaxes Will Graham (Petersen) out of retirement, much to the disgust of Graham’s wife. Graham has a knack of getting into the suspect’s mindset, but had left after almost dying whilst apprehending the cannibalistic serial killer, Dr Hannibal Lecter.

The Tooth Fairy is operating on a lunar cycle, pitching Graham and Crawford into a race against time to discover how he’s targeting his victims, and Graham feels compelled to consult Dr Lecter on the case...

It’s been a long time since i’d seen Manhunter. Michael Mann’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon. In fact I hadn’t seen it since Bret Ratner’s pretty decent version, starring Edward Norton. While Ratner’s version is more faithful to the source material, sticking with the book’s final confrontation, it seriously pales in comparison to Mann’s awesome work.

The picture quality of Canal Plus’s blu ray is absolutely stunning – after the initial pov shot of the Tooth Fairy invading the house of his latest victim, the film cuts to Graham being coaxed by Crawford out of retirement. Straight away we get a feel for the way Mann composes his shots, positioning the two men on a petrified log on a sandy beach, facing in opposite directions. It’s a shot that fans of the Miami Vice tv series will feel very much at home with.

Three actors have played Special Agent Jack Crawford – Scott Glenn took up the role in Silence Of The Lambs, taking Clarice Starling under his wing. In Red Dragon it was Harvey Keitel. As good as both of those actors are, the role belongs to Dennis Farina, an ex-police officer turned actor who worked with Mann on the tv series Crime Story. He’s also put in great performances in the likes of Out of Reach and Snatch – his double act with Vinnie Jones being the best thing about that particular film.

People only familiar with William Petersen from his time on CSI Las Vegas might be in for a shock, for here he’s much more intense and a little aggressive. The moments when he starts getting under the skin of the Tooth Fairy are chilling.

So, Anthony Hopkins, or Brian Cox? I think both performances are informed by their surroundings. In Silence of the Lambs, Lecter is kept in a dark cell, in a dark corridor, with other crazy inmates in adjacent cells. It’s already a freakshow – Starling is given a set of instructions before even entering, heightening the apprehension, then the long walk to Lecter’s cell. Of course Hopkins is going to appear as a larger than life character.

However, in Manhunter, Lecter is in a white-washed cell, wearing white overalls. It feels more clinical, less of a side-show. The man inside the cell is calm, quiet, yet still formidable. He agrees to look over the case files so he can continue mentally sparring with Graham, hoping to destroy the man who caught him. He uses every opportunity to probe Graham’s psyche, just as Graham is trying to probe that of the serial killer. He tries to get details of Graham’s personal life, pointing out the aftershave he’s wearing is the sort of thing a boy would choose as a gift. Even locked up, Lecter is a dangerous proposition. He uses the ruse of phoning his lawyer to –rather easily – obtain the home address of Graham, which he later passes on to the Tooth Fairy.

One of Michael Mann’s motifs is the evocative use of music to enhance the atmosphere of scenes. There are countless examples within Manhunter – the opening scene as the Tooth Fairy makes his way into his victim’s home, the use of Iron Butterfly’s In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida during the film’s tense climax. But for me, none are better than the moment when Graham finally figures out how the killer is choosing his victims. While a small detail finally comes to light from one of the two home movies he’s watching comes to light, the soundtrack slowly, steadily builds in tempo, volume, swelling up behind the dialogue. It’s as if the music is actually propelling Graham’s thought process, willing him to find the answer, then it sustains that level of tempo while Crawford gets confirmation over the phone.

The climax of Manhunter veers away from the source material, which up til that point it had adhered to quite faithfully. Graham leads a rather gung-ho and reckless charge on Dollarhyde’s house, leading to a violent shootout. Again, the music is a big part of making this scene work, especially when Graham jumps through the window.

Canal Plus’ blu ray release contains both the original version of the film and a Director’s Cut.

Verdict

This sort of police procedural was very rare back in the ‘80s. Of course nowadays the tv schedules are full of socially awkward, hyper intelligent investigators and they all owe a huge dept to William Petersen’s performance. Michael Mann’s assured direction and scene composition gives the film a slick look. Highly recommended.

9 out of 10 (MikeOutWest

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