In an ideal world all films would be made as a result of an artistic vision. \Red Dragon"" certainly doesn't exist in this ideal world. Rather, it is a film created solely by commercial demand, as indicated by the box office performance of 2001's ""Hannibal."" Sadly, all the producers had to work with was ""Red Dragon,"" a prequel to 1991's ""Silence of the Lambs,"" despite the fact that star Anthony Hopkins has rapidly aged, and a remake of 1986's mediocre ""Manhunter."" The concept sounds absolutely abysmal on paper but surprisingly, the end result is one of the most enjoyable popcorn flicks in recent memory.
While the impeccable cast certainly doesn't hurt, most of the film's success can be credited to an incredibly tight script and director Brett Ratner, who makes the film more suspenseful and stylistically consistent than Ridley Scott's ""Hannibal.""
In an effort to please, the film follows the same basic formula from ""Silence of the Lambs."" Imprisoned serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter again helps a law enforcement agent (Will Graham, played by every-man Ed Norton) thwart another lurid serial killer (Ralph Fiennes). This time the agent is not a young FBI recruit, but rather a man that Lecter has a history with and a vendetta against. The film's opening shows how Graham successfully captured Lecter, nearly being killed in the process, establishing a high level of intensity for subsequent scenes involving the two men.
Hopkins again gives an excellent performance as Dr. Lecter, not an easy feat given how over-the-top the character is. Hopkins delivers even the script's most blatant one-liners with a classically trained professionalism; the resulting performance is something along the lines of Freddy Krueger by way of Orson Welles. Impressively, the film actually manages to allow for these lighthearted comic moments without compromising the character's status as a villain worthy of being feared.
The script's masterstroke lies in having a revenge-seeking Lecter working with Agent Graham while simultaneously communicating with the killer in hopes of having Graham's family murdered. The movie's success is a direct result of Dr. Lecter's duality; he's the same refined cannibal audiences have come to love and laugh along with, but he also poses a direct threat to Norton's protagonist. The result is a film that is both suspenseful and fun.
After two well-executed climaxes, the movie's ""popcorn film"" status is affirmed by a final scene ending on such a whimsical note that one practically expects to see a blooper reel run during the credits. ""Red Dragon"" doesn't strive to be high art, however. It aims only to entertain and make money, and succeeds on both levels.
