Hannibal
Hannibal's Game-Meat Stew
Start by boiling several cups of Italian spring water in a large stewing pot. Keep the heat up to maximum.
Dash in suspense, then add main ingredients:
1 brilliant psychopath on the run
2 ambitious FBI agents
1 greedy police inspector
1 severely disfigured billionaire
Stir vigorously. Sprinkle horror throughout, then bring
to a rolling boil. Take two pinches of salt; put aside to rub in wounds
later. Add pork. Simmer for just over 2 hours, stirring often. Skim off
fat, and serve. This savory stew will feed millions of hungry Hannibal
fans across the country.
The long-awaited second course to 1991's Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, picks up 10 years after Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) has escaped from a maximum security prison in the United States. FBI Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) is between the fire and the frying pan in her career -- the victim of a misogynist regime, and under personal attack by fellow Agent Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta). Dr. Lecter, smelling the blood from oceans away in the land of pasta and red sauce, decides to contact his old nemesis and stir things up. His resurgence quickly whets Clarice's appetite.
But Clarice isn't the only one hungry for Hannibal -- she's in line with her tray after Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), an embittered victim of Hannibal's perverse cruelty; Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini), who is salivating over a $3 million reward; and Agent Krendler, who's starving for glory, fame and Clarice.
Director Ridley Scott has circled up the chuck wagons and cooked up a tasty blend of suspense, humor, and knuckle-whitening horror -- while some may not find it palatable fare, I am personally looking forward to the DVD director's slice, er, cut. For us fans of true terror, this is not our usual diet of junk food -- what we have here is fine cuisine, the likes of which we're not likely to see for some time.
As expected, Hopkins chews up the scenery (among other things) in his portrayal of Dr. Lecter. His quiet menace and cadenced speech are mesmerizing -- he's the shark, and we are the groupers. But we like him; we respect his intelligence, his humor and his diligence. In the end, we really don't want to see him get his just desserts.
It would have been nice to see a reprisal from Jodie Foster, but Moore sizzles as Agent Starling; Liotta plays the prick to perfection, and Oldman is stupendous as the disfigured creature with millions of dollars at his disposal for revenge. But, revenge is best when served cold and Verger loses sight of that. Inspector Pazzi doesn't really have the guts to handle Hannibal, and Agent Krendler can't keep a cool head in the situation. Which leaves it all up to Clarice. She's back on the case... Goody, goody.
Date screened: January 28, 2001, MGM Studios, Santa Monica,
CA
Film release date: February 9
