Red Dragon (2002)

The new millennium, star-studded, Anthony Hopkins edition of the film Manhunter, which was based on the book, Red Dragon. For it's namesake, you'd figure this would be the perfected Red Dragon. But what it takes in a tremendously cool and creepy thriller classic, it replaces with a sort of B-Movie, early 2000's jump scare fare, that mimics Silence of the Lambs in sections intermittently. Yet, as you'd expect, Brett Ratner can't get out of his own way. Overindulgent is the word that comes to mind. Norton is just fine here, so is Keitel, Hoffman, Watson and Parker. Hopkins is the most notable improvement from Manhunter, as his Hannibal Lector proved to be more terrifying. What downgrades, ever so slightly is Ralph Fiennes as the Tooth Fairy. He's devastatingly creepy and disgusting to witness, but gone is the mystique and subtlety that made Tom Noonan's portrayal in Manhunter so unforgettable. Think of the kidnapping scene in the original, what you didn't see versus what you see here. It's more gratuitous and gruesome, but far less horrifying. Less is more, people. But there's something admirable about it's excess. It actually captures a bygone era of slasher thrillers, while still stylistically deviating from the original 80's classic.