I really wanted to dislike this movie.  Blood.  Gore.  Evil controlling good.  It's just not my thing.  In fact, it bored me after a while.  I went in with the attitude that I was never going to make it through to end.  I thought I was going to die of boredom.  However, it didn't take me long to get rapt into the movie because of the intriguing characters and the originality of the plot.
 Red Dragon is another story that involves Dr. Hannibal Lecter from the Silence of the Lambs.  Even if you haven't seen SofL, you can still enjoy Red Dragon.
 The first scene is a flashback, when Lecter attempts to kill Will Graham, a genius FBI investigator.  It then skips to years later, when Graham is called upon to investigate and catch the perpetrator of two murders in separate states which are said to be related.
 All the evidence leads to the Red Dragon, the half-human, and half-monster.  For pleasure and the thrill of having an audience, he kills beautiful women.  But, what is it that these murders have in common?
 Meanwhile, Graham makes a trip to the high tech prison facility where Lecter is being contained. These scenes are the most comical, yet also the most important to the movie.  
 To really understand the film and what is happening, you have to pay close attention because you aren't always told the new piece of evidence.  You must infer and predict on your own.  For example, Lecter speaks in riddles and rhymes that at first seem to make no sense.  This, like the rest of the movie, needs close attention or else you will easily get confused.
 Perhaps, the reason why the movie was so appealing was because the focus wasn't on the killing, the blood, and so forth, but instead on the mystery and the investigation.  It was a competition to see if the audience could figure out the link before the characters.
 Not only did I enjoy the movie, I would go as far as to say it was one of the best this year.  The plot, especially the resolution, was original and well thought-out.  Also, it was fast-paced and truly suspenseful, leaving the audience no time to be bored.
 Because the movie was so action-packed and full of so many small pertinent details, this is a movie you could watch over and over again and find something new to intrigue you each time.

         
   3 1/2 Stars

Jason Lomberg 
Features Editor

Thumbs down

 Who hasn't heard of Hannibal Lecter?  Lecter was immortalized by the 1991 movie, The Silence of the Lambs.  He's likewise known for his gentlemanly manner, and such infamous lines as "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."  Unfortunately, Lecter's pop culture fame has served as character assassination.  
  This fame is exploited in Red Dragon, the first appearance of Hannibal Lecter in the books, but the third filmed version.  Dragon sets the stage for things to come, including Lecter's initial capture.  But most of it is simply a retread of Silence of the Lambs.  We've seen it all already- Lecter grilling a young detective, Lecter acting like a gentleman, Lecter making cryptic references to eating people.  
 If it weren't for Red Dragon's (super)star-studded cast, it'd hardly be worth mention.  Edward Norton (Fight Club) stars as Will Graham, the FBI agent who originally put Lecter away.  Against his better judgement, Graham is forced to call upon Lecter for help in solving the case of the "Tooth Fairy."
  Played with finesse by Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List), the "Tooth Fairy" (or Francis Dolarhyde) is so-named because of the tooth marks he leaves on his victims.  Dolarhyde believes himself to be the reincarnation of some biblical dragon- his victims are sacrificial lambs.  So of course, in order to catch a killer, Will Graham must consult a killer (in this case, his old nemesis, Hannibal Lecter).   
 There's nothing wrong with the acting.  With such names as Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, and Emily Watson highlighting a cast, it's tough to find faults.  The problem is with the concept.  We've seen this before.  We've seen Lecter go through his shtick.  It just isn't new or exciting anymore.  
 As a stand-alone effort, Red Dragon is a fine film.  The direction by Brett Ratner is surprisingly good, considering his resume (Rush Hour 1-3).  Danny Elfman's score is probably the series' best.  And aside from certain ensemble pieces, there's scarcely been a better cast than Dragon's.  Unfortunately, if you've seen Silence of the Lambs (or its inferior sequel Hannibal), none of Dragon will seem new to you.

2 1/2 stars