Review of Manhunter: Limited Edition (2 disc set)

Introduction

Silence of the Lambs will stick in most people`s mind for many years to come - Anthony Hopkins` portrayal Hannibal the Cannibal is chilling. It`s set to get worse with the imminent release of Hannibal which according to the review I read today will cause widespread alarm!

Silence of the Lambs however wasn`t the first outing for Hannibal Lecter - Manhunter was based on Thomas Harris` previous book Red Dragon and has it received a timely re-release to cash in on the anticipated Hannibal hysteria from the new film.

Anchor Bay have produced 100,000 2-disc versions of Manhunter, with the first disc containing the Theatrical Edition of the movie (rated R) and the second disc containing the Director`s Cut (unrated and 3 minutes longer).

I`ll be treating each version of the film separately from here on in.

Video

Theatrical Version
The video for the Theatrical Version is presented in THX approved 2.35:1 widescreen and is of high standard throughout the movie. There is no dirt of grain evident and edges are sharp, colours well defined and the image stable - the distinctive colours used in some scenes are faithfully reproduced.

My only complaint was the very occasional missing frame which appears to be a quality control issue.

Director`s Cut
There`s an easy way to reproduce the picture on the Director`s Cut disc - nip down to your local shop, buy some lard, smear it across your TV screen and turn down the contrast. In short this is terrible, looking like a second generation VHS copy at best and in my opinion is not of high enough quality to watch on DVD, so I didn`t.

Audio

Theatrical Version
The sound, like the video is THX approved, and comes in Dolby Digital 5.1. At the start of the movie we are presented with a "Chase Digital Stereo" intro which was new to me, along with the standard THX intro.

Sonically, despite the 5.1 remix, this sounds very much like a cleaned up Dolby Pro-Logic track, with limited use made of the rear channels, which also appear to have limited range.

The dialogue is set at the correct level and is always clear and understandable.

The main problem with the sound in Manhunter is the music which really ages the film - a "traditional" score would have made the film seem far fresher. The music tells you that this is a 1986 movie and doesn`t help the suspense or atmosphere of the film.

Director`s Cut
The sound on the Director`s Cut is Dolby Digital 2.0 and you`ll not be surprised to learn that like the picture it`s not up to much. It`s of low quality VHS standard with limited range.

Features

Theatrical Version
There`s a trailer, talent bios and two featurettes on offer.

The first featurette is a 10 minute interview with the cinematographer, Dante Spinotti and is an interesting look at the way that the visual feel of the film was created.

The second featurette is a 18 minute mini-documentary featuring William Petersen, Brian Cox, Joan Allen and Tom Noonan. For 95% of the running time, this is a very good look at the making of the movie from four different perspectives. Unfortunately, there`s no input from Michael Mann and the other 5% of the featurette is dedicated to some gratuitous backslapping about how good he is!

The menus are animated and contain various scenes from the film.

Director`s Cut
No extras and a static menu here.

Packaging
The DVDs come in a black double case - about 50% thicker than a standard Amaray. Inside is a reproduction case file that contains numerous loose leaf inserts - background information on the film, still images and the chapter breaks. This is an innovative way of packaging the printed material and much better than a standard four page booklet.

Conclusion

Before I summarise the film, let`s have a look at the merits of including the Director`s Cut in this release.

Basically, the picture quality on the Director`s Cut is a disgrace and I`m surprised that Anchor Bay decided to unleash it on the unsuspecting buyer - I am extremely disappointed to have received a film that is almost unwatchable. The sound is passable, but this cut of the film really is a waste of time.

In my opinion, the extra three minutes should have been restored to the quality of the Theatrical Version and included as an option via seamless branching. If this wasn`t possible, the extra footage should have been tidied up as best as they could, and included as an extra on the first disc. To release a whole disc containing such low standard material seems stupid.

Moving onto the film, I used to rate Manhunter as a very good film, but was disappointed by it this time around. The music really ages the film badly, and although visually the film is still impressive, the overall dated feel can`t be hidden.

The cast is strong and everyone plays their part well - I do like Cox`s portrayal of Lecter - which is very different to Hopkins` character in Silence of the Lambs.

The picture and sound quality of the Theatrical Version are good, and the extras reasonable, but this package is badly let-down by the terrible Director`s Cut which should never have been released.

The Theatrical Version is available separately in a cheaper single-disc version and I recommend that anyone who wants Manhunter buys it instead.

I`ve obviously marked the overall package down dramatically due to the problems with the Director`s Cut, but for your information, the scores for the Theatrical Version by itself would be: Content 7, Video 8, Sound 6. Extras 7, Overall 7.