Another Red Dragon Opinion

[John Cole]

Red Dragon will linger with you until the end of the credits. Is that to say it's a bad movie? Well, yes and no. As a pleasant diversion, go see it. If you are expecting anything close to The Silence of the Lambs, you'll be disappointed.

It's been a long time since I've seen Manhunter, but that version is also far superior. See both, and compare the use of color; Red Dragon's Gothic cannot compare to Manhunter's much more careful use of color.

Of course, Dragon shouldn't be compared to two vastly superior films, and it does have some good moments, but since it is part of a series of Lecter films, comparisons will be inevitable. The opening scene with Lecter, zeroing in on the bad flute player, reveals him as a real "friend" of the symphony. Later, we'll see the dangers of bringing Crazy Glue into contact with both skin and fire. Yet, for the most part, these moments are few. Dragon fails, remarkably, to create empathy for any of the characters, and this feature distinguished Silence, since that film calls into question the process of cinematic identification. (Tell the truth: weren't you hoping that Gumb would dispose of the Senator's whinney daughter before Starling could rescue her?)

Silence combines mythic elements and the fairy tale structure to create a truly memorable film; Red Dragon, with some good stuff along the way, moves neatly towards its end.

Now, I guess, we can await the prequel to Red Dragon.

John