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Hannibal

By Ad-Lib How many of us remember Silence of the Lambs? Well, if the greatest psycho movie of the 20th Century is a blur in your mind then its time to get a fresh dose of a shrink gone psycho-cannibal! Silence of the lambs ended with Hannibal Lecter escaping from the law and going off into the distance to munch on his next victim. Hannibal picks up from there with a few changes, most prominent being the change from Jodie Foster to Julianne Moorewho plays the FBI agent Clarice Starling. It`s been ten years since FBI agent Clarice Starling interviewed convicted serial killer and admitted cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) while searching for another killer. After assuming responsibility for a botched drug bust that resulted in her shooting the suspect who was holding a baby, Clarice is on the hot seat. About to be punished by Justice Dept. official Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta), she gets a reprieve when Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), a wealthy and influential recluse, asks that she be put back on the Lecter case and that the killer be reinstated on the FBI`s ten most wanted list. It seems that Verger was Lecter`s only victim to have survived, but with a terribly scarred face and a life sentence in a wheelchair. Verger apparently has some new evidence about Lecter, so Clarice goes to interview him, and then does the same with Barney, a former guard who knew Lecter for many years and is in possession of many audiotapes of the killer`s thoughts. Meanwhile in Florence, Italy, Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a curator and thus goes to question the man`s potential replacement, Dr. Fell, who turns out to be none other than Hannibal Lecter. Once Pazzi realizes who Fell really is, he sets out to collect evidence to prove that and collect a handsome reward, all while Clarice tries to pinpoint the origin of a letter she received from Hannibal that stated it was time for him to get back into the limelight. From that point on, and as Verger decides to use Clarice to lure in Lecter so that he can get his revenge on him, the various involved parties try to find the killer who always seems to be one step ahead of their plans and thinking. Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs suffer at points from the same problems of suddenly slowing down at places so that the viewer can soak in the horror. Hannibal is also overdone in the gruesome department so kids and parents beware. Director Ridley Scott seems to have followed the overkill approach when it comes to violence. Anthony Hopkins dialogue delivery is nothing short of superb. So finally what is Julianne Moore like? Well being a face we rarely see, she seems to be more a victim in the movie more that an FBI agent. Oldman`s portrayal as a man who looks like a plastic sugeon`s nightmare, is make up genius. All in all, Hannibal is a must watch for those who love thrillers.