Manhunter (1986) (R)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring: William L. Petersen, Kim Greist, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina
Daddy Says:
Manhunter was the first movie to feature one of cinema's most feared villains: Dr. Hannibal Lector. Unlike the other films (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon (which is a remake of this film)) he's played here by Brian Cox. I have a feeling that Red Dragon was made simply so Anthony Hopkins could play the role in all three stories. Still, this film does justice to its story, and Brian Cox does a fine job in the role.
When we first see him, Will Graham (played by William Petersen in what today looks like an extended audition for his role in the original CSI) is being coerced into taking on one more case. He was the detective who caught Dr. Lector and put him away. Now, a new threat has surfaced, known in the tabloids as "The Tooth Fairy" because of his odd dental work. Graham's skills at getting inside the mind of a psychopath are needed to catch the killer before he strikes again.
Manhunter is a very well told tale, with director Michael Mann setting up several really good sequences. William Petersen brings the intensity as we follow him around, seeing what he sees, even hearing his thoughts as he dictates them into his tape recorder. The most dated parts of the movie are it's musical score which unfortunately today sounds horrible. I'm sure in 1986 this must have sounded like the height of pop music, but today it's pretty bad. Still, if you can find a copy of this to watch, I recommend it for the chance to see William Petersen before he became a TV star, and for the chance to see someone else's take on one of cinema's most famous creations.
Rating for Manhunter: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
When I saw the preview for this film I was 99% sure that this was going to be a disaster. I was only about 40% right about that.
Manhunter was a different kind of mystery. William Peterson did an okay job at acting, but I didn't understand parts of his dialogue. I kept thinking this guy is crazy because he was the only person in the whole cast who talked to themselves. He kept pretending that he was talking to the killer, but no one could hear him. At one point he looked out the window and told "the killer" that it was just them two. No one can hear you!
Another problem is the random hand gestures. A guy will be talking on the phone and Peterson will look out the window with his hand against it. Supposedly to make a dramatic impact, but it just didn't do it for me.
Finally lets get to the worst of this movie. The dreadful music. The 80's style music didn't fit any of the scenes. It drove me up the wall even more when the killer blasted In-a-gadda-da-vida while he tried to kill a victim. It was awful. I hate that song so much. I can't stand to listen to it.
I bet you're wondering why I think I was only 40% right and why you should watch this movie. Well I think I was 60% wrong because Peterson was surprisingly good. I thought he couldn't be that great of an actor. The best role and only role I ever saw him in was CSI and I loved him in that. But apparently it was the same basic character for Manhunter as it was for CSI, because he did an excellent job. (Other than the talking to himself and overacting). He also made me cheer for him. I was really into this movie when I wasn't getting annoyed by those certain qualities.
Rating for Manhunter: **1/2.
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring: William L. Petersen, Kim Greist, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina
Daddy Says:
Manhunter was the first movie to feature one of cinema's most feared villains: Dr. Hannibal Lector. Unlike the other films (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon (which is a remake of this film)) he's played here by Brian Cox. I have a feeling that Red Dragon was made simply so Anthony Hopkins could play the role in all three stories. Still, this film does justice to its story, and Brian Cox does a fine job in the role.
When we first see him, Will Graham (played by William Petersen in what today looks like an extended audition for his role in the original CSI) is being coerced into taking on one more case. He was the detective who caught Dr. Lector and put him away. Now, a new threat has surfaced, known in the tabloids as "The Tooth Fairy" because of his odd dental work. Graham's skills at getting inside the mind of a psychopath are needed to catch the killer before he strikes again.
Manhunter is a very well told tale, with director Michael Mann setting up several really good sequences. William Petersen brings the intensity as we follow him around, seeing what he sees, even hearing his thoughts as he dictates them into his tape recorder. The most dated parts of the movie are it's musical score which unfortunately today sounds horrible. I'm sure in 1986 this must have sounded like the height of pop music, but today it's pretty bad. Still, if you can find a copy of this to watch, I recommend it for the chance to see William Petersen before he became a TV star, and for the chance to see someone else's take on one of cinema's most famous creations.
Rating for Manhunter: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
When I saw the preview for this film I was 99% sure that this was going to be a disaster. I was only about 40% right about that.
Manhunter was a different kind of mystery. William Peterson did an okay job at acting, but I didn't understand parts of his dialogue. I kept thinking this guy is crazy because he was the only person in the whole cast who talked to themselves. He kept pretending that he was talking to the killer, but no one could hear him. At one point he looked out the window and told "the killer" that it was just them two. No one can hear you!
Another problem is the random hand gestures. A guy will be talking on the phone and Peterson will look out the window with his hand against it. Supposedly to make a dramatic impact, but it just didn't do it for me.
Finally lets get to the worst of this movie. The dreadful music. The 80's style music didn't fit any of the scenes. It drove me up the wall even more when the killer blasted In-a-gadda-da-vida while he tried to kill a victim. It was awful. I hate that song so much. I can't stand to listen to it.
I bet you're wondering why I think I was only 40% right and why you should watch this movie. Well I think I was 60% wrong because Peterson was surprisingly good. I thought he couldn't be that great of an actor. The best role and only role I ever saw him in was CSI and I loved him in that. But apparently it was the same basic character for Manhunter as it was for CSI, because he did an excellent job. (Other than the talking to himself and overacting). He also made me cheer for him. I was really into this movie when I wasn't getting annoyed by those certain qualities.
Rating for Manhunter: **1/2.
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