Am I the only who thinks 'Manhunter' is much better than 'Silence of the Lambs?'

It’s too rooted in the 80s for me to love it. I still like it, and recommend it, but I prefer silence of the lambs as a movie. I’m not a reader of Harris’ novels so I can’t speak to that aspect.

Also William Petersen kind of ruins it for me. I wish someone else was cast in that role. I do like Tom Noonan as dollarhyde & Cox as Hannibal though.

Manhunter doesn’t get enough love as being one of the quintessential 80s films. Top tier filmmaking. William Petersen gives an incredible and haunting performance. God tier acting, he steals the show. Tom Noonan is AMAZING as the tooth fairy. Brian Cox is totally different than Hopkins’ Lecter BUT I think his portrayal fits the tone of Munhunter. Brilliant performance nonetheless.


Also I think Nicolas Winding Refn took plenty inspiration from Manhunter for Drive (2011)

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Brian Cox's Dr. Lecktor, William Peterson as Will Graham, and the scariness of Francis Dollarhyde are all, to me, much better as a whole under Michael Mann's hand than Demme.

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Considering how poor Foster looks (particularly in hindsight) relative to the critical acclaim she earned, Sir Anthony, Glenn and Levine are all far more responsible for how well the film is received over the years. Problem is: Foster was playing sort of straight (pardon the pun), quaint even. The other 3 were over the top. Demme must be held partially responsible for this uneven keel the film had in that regard.

Manhunter is a far, far more intense, realistic, gritty film that is more neo-noir or psychological thriller than horror - at the end of the day and - difficult to say the acting is better when one considers Sir Anthony and Levine (underrated and often overlooked, but he was A+ as Buffalo Bill), but certainly more balanced - Peterson was much more of a match for Cox's Lecktor than Foster was for Hopkins' Lecter. Mann kept Manhunter at a much more even keel.

So, they're different films and offer different experiences. I don't really care for "horror" films, so I prefer Manhunter, but recognize the genius of Silence.

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Am I the only who thinks 'Manhunter' is much better than 'Silence of the Lambs?'

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No. I don't think it's "much" better, but it is the better, more interesting film. Lambs is good for Hopkins' take, but that's about it (and even then Cox's is better).

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Also I think Nicolas Winding Refn took plenty inspiration from Manhunter for Drive (2011)

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I can see that... with the lighting and use of color are outstanding, and both often use the visuals and music to do the storytelling.

Manhunter and SOTL are great in their own ways.

yes

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I do think Anthony Hopkins’s Lecter has diminished in my opinion since watching Brian Cox’s and later Mads Mikkelson’s interpretation of the character.

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I think Hopkins was 1,000 times better in Silence than Hannibal and Red Dragon for a couple of reasons:

1. Silence is a better movie than the other two, especially concerning Lecter's character. His cell and cell block are creepy and intimidating and hearing about what he's done (disfiguring the nurse and eating her tongue, eating the census taker's liver, following Chilton until he disappears into the crowd) sometimes can be scarier than actually seeing it. Everyone brought their A game in Silence, including Tally (screenwriter) and Demme (director).

2. Hopkins was in his early 50s in Silence. He was thin in the face, fit, dark hair, and just the right age to be a mentor of sorts to someone in their mid/late 20s (like Clarice) while still appearing vigorous and physically formidable. When Hannibal and Red Dragon were filmed Hopkins was in his early/mid 60s, looked old, and had put on some weight. He just didn't have the same presence anymore.

Hopkins in Silence is kind of like the '85 Bears or '19 LSU in that their greatness might not have sustained over time but for one year they were arguably the best ever. Similarly, I think Cox and Mads were as good or better than the Hopkins we saw in Hannibal and Red Dragon - but not even close to Silence.

Not at all. Manhunter is a very good film.

I've been saying it for years. Manhunter is the best of the bunch.