Is it worth the rewatch?
By: Connor MacDonald
Manhunter (1986) serves as the first film appearance of Will Graham (played by William Petersen) and Hannibal Lecter (played by Brian Cox), spelled as “Lecktor” in Manhunter. This movie is very atmospheric, and that was my main draw to the film. Interesting camera shots, disturbing synth tracks, and a protagonist who is unraveling due to his empathy towards killers.
The movie opens with one of the creepiest scenes I’ve watched in cinema history. Entirely shot from the perspective of the “Tooth Fairy,” aka Francis Dolarhyde (played by Tom Noonan), the sequence shows him entering a house with a flashlight. Creeping upstairs in this large suburban home, he enters the bedroom of two people sleeping. He shines his flashlight on the woman, and when she notices him, it cuts away.
That entire sequence is the thesis of the film, as Will Graham has to put himself in the shoes of the killers he profiles. Wracked with the stress of doing so, he has taken a leave from his FBI duties and returned to his family. We watch the POV of the killer and feel the creeps, but Will Graham has to do it for a living.
The movie is entirely claustrophobic to me, with loud synth music playing as Graham conducts his investigations. The shots may sweep across large areas, empty buildings, etc. However, the claustrophobia comes from the psychology of the movie. It is oppressive, as Will reconstructs the murders and tries to understand why the Tooth Fairy did what he did. He separates himself from his family, both because he needs to work on the case and because he fears that he himself may be capable of violence. As Dr. Lecktor points out, “How did you catch me, Will? How?”
The shots in the movie are incredible. When Graham is with his family, the scenes are bright and full of life. The longer he spends apart from them, the darker and more depressing the atmosphere becomes. It is a visualization of his psyche moving towards the “darkness” inside of him that he is attempting to keep away.
A shot I find very enjoyable is when Graham meets with Dr. Lecktor, seeking his insight into the Tooth Fairy. Dr. Lecktor appears behind bars, while the framing makes Graham appear as though he is behind bars as well. Both men appear trapped, symbolizing how Graham is “trapped” by his desire to solve the case while Lecktor is physically trapped in his cell.
The movie relies heavily on cinematography, with shots sometimes placed above the protagonist’s head as he moves through interiors. The soundtrack adds to these shots, with dreadful music playing throughout the film. The music changes as Graham gets closer to catching the Tooth Fairy, becoming more hopeful and uplifting.
When this movie came out, it was largely seen as a “flop.” Probably because some “badass” wasn’t shooting people and fucking babes. I would say 90% of the scenes in this film involve people talking in office buildings. If you’re looking for long, drawn-out action scenes, you’ll probably find this movie very boring. Myself? I enjoy watching William Petersen walk around barren houses talking into a recorder.
In one scene, Graham is talking to his son about why he was hospitalized. It was a good scene, but I became distracted when the grocery store aisle they were in suddenly teleported cans of pineapples into the scene. Instead of the condensed milk they were standing in front of earlier, the next shot reveals that they are now standing in front of pineapple cans. Pretty funny.
A big thing people talk about is whether Anthony Hopkins or Brian Cox makes for the better Hannibal Lecter (Lecktor). It’s unfair to compare the two. Brian Cox acts more grounded and natural to me. You can imagine him being both a sophisticated intellectual and a person who eats brains. Anthony Hopkins is more theatrical, but not in a bad way. I appreciated the groundedness of Cox and how Hannibal Lecter was portrayed in this film.
Tom Noonan makes Dolarhyde feel very strange and alien. It is obvious from his portrayal that he wants Dolarhyde to come across as craving human connection, which he shows wonderfully. Still, he is very tall, with an impressive physique. It reminded me a lot of how Dolarhyde was portrayed in the novel, though this movie skips out on telling us about his bodybuilding regimen. He also has a good fashion sense. I need the silk shirts he was wearing when I do my nightly murders!
The ending felt rushed to me, especially as a fan of the source material. I won’t spoil the ending, but it doesn’t follow what happens in the novel. I think they wanted to rush the ending because they were nearing the two-hour mark and didn’t want to push it to two and a half hours. Most movies in the eighties didn’t want to spend that long telling their story, but Manhunter would have greatly benefited from it. The ending turning into a slapstick shootout was very much against the overall vibe of the film.
I strongly recommend this film to people who like slow-burn investigative movies, especially ones that place an emphasis on realistic police work. It might not have the action some people crave, but it is intellectually stimulating and looks beautiful. This is not a popcorn flick and actually requires you to pay attention.
The only significant problem I have with the film, beyond the seemingly rushed ending, is the number of low-talkers in it. They make Matthew McConaughey seem like he shouts in his films. I struggled really hard to hear some of the dialogue and had to rewatch the movie a second time with closed captioning to fully understand certain points. I’m not even deaf, so take that into consideration. You’ll probably spend about 15% of the movie reading captions.
All in all, it’s definitely worth a rewatch.
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⬛⬛ – Storyline
⭐⭐⭐⭐⬛ – Cinematography
⭐⭐⭐⭐⬛ – Performances
⭐⭐⭐⭐⬛ – Atmosphere / Music
Overall Rating: 7.5 / 10
The storyline takes some reduction because they don’t follow the source material closely enough for my liking, but the music, atmosphere, cinematography, and performances make up for it. William Petersen is probably the best Graham in film, and Tom Noonan does a fantastic job as Dolarhyde. If you enjoy artsy film shots, you’ll love this one.
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