Red Dragon

Red Dragon, of course, cannot compare to the precise and visually impressive The Silence of the Lambs. It is still a decent bit of filmmaking, but Ratner is an average director, simply an ordinary film craftsman who follows in the footsteps of his more famous colleagues. There is a lack of impressive original scenes here, the delicate game with the viewer that allowed the widest audience to navigate an ethically problematic subject where the main protagonist is a brutal serial killer. I have no issues with the cast, and Ralph Fiennes particularly enjoys his role as a psychopath. Overall impression: 60%. (31/01/2009)

The commercial has defeated the classic. The extorted substance is truly more exciting and even better than the original Silence of the Lambs. A provocative thriller with a fantastically depressing atmosphere, and unlike the previous (upcoming) installments, it features a likeable and believable investigator on the level of the unmistakable Anthony Hopkins and a perfectly chilling murderer in Ralph Fiennes. The final twist even brings a desire to immediately watch Jonathan Demme's original. This is how the most fundamental essence of a well-known story should be expanded on. (16/07/2006)

Less interesting in terms of plot and more routine, and visually far less attractive, almost ordinary. Red Dragon has almost nothing to captivate the audience, other than a few scenes with Emily Watson and Ralph Fiennes. An overly detailed copy of The Silence of the Lambs, with the difference that there is hardly anything good in here, and there’s plenty of bad. (29/07/2011)

A newer adaptation of Thomas Harris' book, which I consider to be worse than the one from 1986. In terms of story and atmosphere, I found the old version more fitting, as it somehow feels grittier. I don't mean in individual scenes but as a whole. The new Red Dragon tries too hard to be like The Silence of the Lambs, but it doesn't succeed because the only things that stand out are the acting performances, led by Anthony Hopkins and the earnest Edward Norton. (02/01/2014)

Remember the various directorial ideas from Silence of the Lambs, such as the bell scene at the end, the psycho showing off in front of the mirror, or the night vision goggles? You won't find anything similarly refreshing here. Rattner is wooden, a man of routine who sticks one ordinary shot after another, and the result is so uninteresting and boring. It has no atmosphere, only once, at the end of the film, did a faint chill run down my spine. Norton and Keitel sucked, not to mention Hopkins, on the other hand Emily Watson and Fiennes were great and they are the only reason to watch this movie. So, the two stars are only because of them. Rattner, go back to the B-movies! (30/08/2003)