I wont be writing any new ops because I dont have the time to produce ops to the quality that I want...
I wont be writing any new ops because I dont have the time to produce ops to the quality that I want, and I cant churn them out fast enough as well. Apologies, Ill still read ops though. DAN
Member since:29.07.2001
Reviews:16
Members who trust:7
HANNIBAL (2001)
STORY: -
Ten years after the events depicted in Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) no longer the naieve inexperienced agent she used to be, leads a drug bust that goes horribly wrong. The national news have been tipped off, and due to the FBI's bad reputation they have to be seen to do something about it, basically a publicty stunt. Clarice takes the fall and only through the intervention of Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), a former patient and the only surviving victim of Hannibal Lecter's pulls some strings through the corrupt Paul Krendler and ensures that she is given the case of tracking down Hannibal.
Next we find that Dr Hannibal Lecter has taken up the name of Dr Fell and is living in Florence, Italy. He has been keeping a close eye on news surrounding the FBI's disastrous drug bust and writes to Clarice Starling. Inspector Pazzi of the local police force for one reason or another recognizes Dr Fell as Dr Lecter and tries to obtain proof that this is who he thinks it is to send to Mason Verger (an unrecognizable Gary Oldman). He eventually gets the proof he needs via a fingerprint and Mason Verger sends out a team to capture the Doc.
Events unfold and Hannibal comes back to America, then things start to get interesting.......
Marketing Gallery (Tralers, TV Spots, Ad Campaign....);
Cast Biographies;
Production Notes;
Before I start with my review let me point out that I recommend that you watch the film before viewing any of the extras included on the discs as they will spoil the plot and the many key sequences that are present.
With the documentary's running time coming
in at about 1 hour and 20 minutes there is little that is left uncovered. There are in total 5 documentaries covering aspects such as production, make-up, reaction to film etc, and includes interviews with the stars and the people behind the camera. Although the length alone will put a lot of people off (including mr short attention span myself) I found that it was so interesting that I watched it in one sitting.
The audio commentary that is proivded by the film's director Ridley Scott that plays over the film is tedious and boring and does little to hold the viewer's interest. Ridley seems at times to not be able to express his thoughts to the viewer and is constantly stuttering. The knowledge that he shares with viewers are of little interest.
The deleted scenes provided here can be played with and without commentary by the director, Ridley Scott and they are in plentiful supply. With approximately 15 scenes that were filmed but didn't make the cut for whatever reason there has to be somehting in here for everyone. If you've read the book you'll recognise some of the scenes. For example the sub-plot in the book regarding Il Mostro and Pazzi is touched upon here, as are a couple of sequences involving Hannibal in Clarice's car. For some of the scenes it is obvious as to why they were cut as they didn't quite come up to scratch copared to the rest of the film and for others such as the extended scene where Lecter is writing to Clarice you are left wondering how such a powerful scene like this was cut and replaced with a weaker edit. Also present is an alternate ending, which plays very much like the ending used with some slight differences, although there's nothing here to get too excited about.
Cast Biographies. This section provides everything you wanted to know about the cast of the film. Unfortunately because it contains everything from why and how they got into acting to their memorable appearances in films, it is about 10 pages long for each actor and soon becomes boring. But there are some interesting facts. One thing that wasn't present that I felt should have been was a summary of all the films that they had been in, instead it was contained in the text.
Production Notes. As with the biographies the notes around the prouction are also of hideous length, which again will put many people off reading it.
Marketing. All the ususal junk included here, with the trailers and TV spots included. Both the teaser trailer and the 'proper' trailer are included which is a nice touch. There is however too many TV spots, I think there about 15 of them and most of them are very, very similar and I got bored with wacthing them all. The same goes for the poster section. The company sent out details to four major ad companies who in turn produced about twenty variations hoping to get the deal,unfortunately all of them are included on the disc.
VERDICT: - With three major League players refusing to reprise their roles (Jonathan Demme Director, Jodie Foster and Screenwriter Ted Tally) that brought them recognition after the roles that they played in bringing Sienence of the Lambs to the big screen, it was no doubt that this film was not going to come up to scratch. I thought the book was very well written, but the people who had the responsibility of turning it into a film would have a problem as there are way too many events and characters to squeeze into a two hour movie. Watching the film some of the sub-plots present in the book have been taken out and some characters have dissapeared. Although they proved their worth in the novel I can understand why they have been cut out of the film.
The screen writer has done well in providing an ending for the film that is loosely based on the controversial ending that appeared in the novel. I know the american audience didn't get it and some even protested against it saying it was unconceivable, but hey I dug it, I understood it for what it was and thought it was an interesting twist. The ending in the film leaves the door open for a fourth outing for Hannibal's return once more. However if he were to return to the big screen then he would do so with material not based (or very loosely based) on Harris' work.
Hot off the success of his epic Galidiator, Ridley Scott has done great things for this movie. The section of the movie that deals with the re-introduction of Hannibal in Florence is beatuifally shot and he gets some great performances from the cast he has assembled.
Although Jodie Foster bowed out of reprising her role of Clarice Starling, Julianne Moore has done well to fill her shoes. She must have really been under pressure matching Foster's Oscar winning performance of the character. She does well though providing the goods in all of her scenes, especially her introduction in the Fish Market shoot out. Hopkins provides another memorable performance as Hannibal, although the material he has to work with this time can't even be compared to that he was given in Silenece of the Lambs. Ray Liotta provides some great moments as his character, the ruthless Paul Krendler. An unrecognisable Gary Oldman is excellent as the only surviving victim of Hannibal's previous efforts, Mason Verger determined to seek revenge on Hannibal. A good solid performance from the guy who plays the italian inspector trying to sell details of Hannibal's whereabouts to Verger is also worth a mention.
The extras on this disc make this a worthwhile purchase, the documentary is outstanding as are most of the marketing junk that is included on the disc. AS previously stated the cast and crew biographies as well as the production notes are way too long but I suppose it's better than very little information.
It's good to see a big company recognising the huge potential of cramming a DVD release with so much information compared to the other slackers who release their big titles on DVD with little more than the ever appealing 'inter-active menus' and throw in the odd trailer. Well done MGM keep up the good work.
INFORMATION: -
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Anthony Hopkins Julianne Moore Ray Liotta Gary Oldman
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Another great op! Can't say I am keen to see this one but I am a big fan of Ridley Scott's films!
Crazy-Christian 04.09.2001 16:32
Another great op. I'm surprised that Ridley's commentary is so dry as I thought his Alien one was excellent. Maybe he just needs 20 years or so to think about it! Cheers, Jonathon
danradders 03.09.2001 17:31
The whole brain eating thing was pretty neat if ya ask me!! Great review. DAN
Ten Years have passed since FBI agent Clarice Starling faced the ingenious Dr. Hannibal ... more
Lecter...ten years of watching, wondering and waiting. But now the wait is over. The sophisticated killer re-emerges in Florence, Italy, ready to entice Clarice int...
Yes, he's back, and he's still hungry. Ten years afterThe Silence of the Lambs,Dr. ... more
Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Yes, he's back, and he's still hungry. Ten years afterThe Silence of the Lambs,Dr. ... more
Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Ten years have passed since FBI agent Clarice Starling faced the ingenious Dr. Hannibal ... more
Lecter... ten years of watching wondering and waiting. But now the wait is over. The sophisticated killer re-emerges in Florence Italy ready to entice Clarice in...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Hannibal [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78509515.jpg "Hannibal [DVD] [2001]")
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