Review of Hannibal

Introduction

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The line between thrillers and horror movies is becoming more and more blurred as writers and directors strive to outdo each other in the shock content of their movies. "Hannibal" has a number of such moments, moments that will almost certainly stay with you for days after watching the movie. Full-on, can`t-tear-your-eyes-away moments best summed up with a simple `yuk!`. Having said that, Ridley Scott`s adaptation of the novel by Thomas Harris is a stylishly nasty piece of work, full of dark humour and a delight in the macabre that would have done Vincent Price proud. (Vincent Price would have made a glorious Hannibal Lecter in my opinion).

Of course, Sir Anthony Hopkins owns the movie, building on the character he created for "Silence Of The Lambs" and making Hannibal Lecter almost a sympathetic character. The blood-and-guts content of the storyline led to fifteen rewrites - David Mamet`s draft bears little resemblance to the final movie - and ultimately the withdrawal from the project of both original director Jonathan Demme and original Clarice, Jodie Foster. Ridley Scott makes the picture his own, going for a constant feeling of unease throughout the movie rather than relying on cheapo shock tactics. Julianne Moore is an excellent replacement Clarice Starling even though her interaction with Dr Lecter is restricted to the latter quarter of the movie.

The supporting cast of victims is also stellar. Gary Oldman is unrecognisable under a quite stomach-churning makeup, playing Hannibal`s enormously wealthy nemesis Mason Verger. In a dispute over star billing, he was uncredited in the original marketing materials. Also outstanding are Justice Department sleazeball Krendler (played by Ray Liotta) who gives a whole new meaning to giving somebody a piece of your mind, and Italian copper Pazzi (that`s pronounced Patsy) - Giancarlo Giannini who demonstrates you need guts to go after Hannibal.

The camerawork and makeup effects (by Greg Cannom and his crew) are nothing short of stunning, and are rightly celebrated in the three-and-a-half-hour or so`s worth of extras on the second disc in this special edition. One piece of work in particular concerning Ray Liotta should be singled out as the movie`s stand-out sequence and is easily one of the most icky moments in cinema history.

Video

The image is quite perfect, with little or no generational problems. Contrast is excellent and colours are vibrant. John Mathieson`s cinematography and Ridley Scott`s designer`s eye go together to make this a strikingly beautiful (if frequently shocking) piece of movie-making. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 with an anamorphic transfer.

Audio

The movie comes with both DD5.1 and DTS soundtracks which will frequently have you starting out of your seat. Both are lively mixes, but perhaps most striking about the soundtrack is the beautiful score by Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt and Patrick Cassidy, the latter of whom wrote the opera for the movie that Dr Lecter goes to see - classy or what?

Features

Three and a half hours which comprise an alternative ending (better than the movie), over half-an-hour of deleted and alternative scenes, a full-length audio commentary by Ridley Scott, over an hour of behind-the-scenes material, a multi-angle featurette on storyboarding, a multi-angle breakdown of the opening "fish market" opening scene, title design and tons of marketing materials. Phew!
The movie is also fully subtitled for HOH viewers as well as carrying eleven sets of foreign language subtitles.

Conclusion

This is not normally my kind of movie, in fact I would normally not touch a picture like this with insulated tongs but I was round at a friend`s house yesterday for a social DVD-watching evening. We argued the toss between "Hannibal" and "Final Fantasy" and the result was this review. I haven`t changed my mind, I still reckon this isn`t my kind of movie but I was impressed by it. Even after hearing so much negative hype from other reviewers and on the internet. It`s a new generation of horror-thriller and a real rollercoaster ride of a movie. Like I said at the start - Ewwwwwwwwww!