Manhunter (1986)

Welcome to the first incarnation of the Hannibal Lector cinematic franchise. It pales in comparison to The Silence of the Lambs, but Manhunter has incredible moments of it's own. The direction by Michael Mann is outstanding, and visceral. Every set piece is vividly colorful, and eerily dangerous. The cinematography is beautiful. The acting is top notch. The portrayal of the Tooth Fairy here is so terrifyingly done by Tom Noonan, who even looks like Ted Levine in Silence. I know, it's in the same universe, but the resemblance is scary. I also loved Joan Allen's performance as the blind woman, played absolutely so convincingly. I wasn't too crazy about Brian Cox as Hannibal Lector, because once you've seen Anthony Hopkins do him, you can't see anyone else doing him. After all, that's why they remade the film with Hopkins in 2002. Silence stole the thunder, but you need to see this first attempt at the source material. I was fascinated, and really creeped out.