- Before Dexter was killing serial killers, before CSI made forensics famous, and before Silence of the Lambs turned Hannibal Lecter into a household name, there was Manhunter. Based on Thomas Harris' surprisingly compelling novel "Red Dragon," the essential concept of Michael Mann's film, namely employing psychology to catch a serial killer, may seem a bit trite by today's standards. That is, until you realize that its contemporaries in the suspense/horror genres back in 1986 consisted largely of sequels to Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. It was as though cinema had forgotten about Hitchcock's colorful gallery of psychologically captivating villains or Peter Lorre's memorable turn as the "kindermorder" in Fritz Lang's M. Happily, Manhunter attempts to reverse that trend.
- From the moment we meet Will Graham (William Petersen), we sense that he's damaged goods. Why else would somebody who spends his days lounging around his oceanfront home with his wife (Kim Greist) and kid (David Seaman) look so pensive? Presumably some of that unidentified angst has resurfaced because of a visit from his former boss, Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina), who needs Will's help catching the murderer known colloquially as "The Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). Will's investigation begins with a few photos of seemingly happy families. Next is a harrowing nighttime visit to what was once a healthy home. To really catch "the scent," however, Will is going to have to visit the now-incarcerated killer that both made and ended Will's career, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox).
- It is admittedly difficult today to hear the name "Hannibal Lecter" without immediately conjuring up images of Anthony Hopkins casually discussing fava beans and liver. While Hopkins' Oscar-winning interpretation has certainly become the definitive version of the character, it is to Cox's great credit that his performance can be discussed in same paragraph as Hopkins' without shame. Floating against a sterile white background like some strange apparition, Cox's mad psychiatrist possesses that same uncanny olfactory system that can sniff out a man by his cologne and the famously sharp wit that cuts with queries as simple as "dream much, Will?" Perhaps the most amazing thing about Manhunter's version of Lecter is that he manages to be an absolutely menacing presence without ever leaving the confines of his cell. The experience is traumatizing enough to get Will's blood flowing, and it isn't long before he's hot on the trail of the Tooth Fairy.
- Did I mention that the so-called Tooth Fairy is actually a terrifying giant of a man named Francis Dollarhyde? The film wisely keeps its killer hidden for the entire first half, preferring instead to tease the audience with hints of his crime scenes and weird obsessions. The big reveal arrives when a sleazy writer (Stephan Lang) for the tabloids makes the mistake of calling Dollarhyde names with the specific intent of drawing him out. Boy, does it ever work. Oddly enough, the most frightening thing about Dollarhyde may be that he really is the stereotypical "guy next door who keeps to himself." He has a normal job and wears wacky shirts. He even has a girlfriend (Joan Allen) whose blindness must seem strangely exotic to someone so focused on how other people see him. His home, however, is a strange domain decorated with extra-terrestrial landscapes, home videos of unsuspecting young mothers, and, of course, the art of William Blake. Dollarhyde may as well be talking about the audience when he says "It is in your nature to do one thing correctly: Tremble."
- Perhaps the most original and subsequently influential aspect of Manhunter is that it devotes nearly as much time to the mechanics of forensics as it does to the psychology of catching a killer. When Will finally makes the mental connection needed to catch Dollarhyde, it's a completely plausible conclusion predicated on a combination of intuition and evidence. Still, what stuck most firmly in my mind long after the film had ended was Mann's signature directorial style. From Manhunter's striking color palette (Will's beachfront home is literally ultramarine) to the iconic shots of a woman waking to an intruder and a killer finally getting his wings, the film's visuals are unrelentingly haunting. At the same time, the primal soundtrack works on our minds until it reaches a crescendo of complete madness with one of rock's longest and most strangely psychedelic anthems. Like Will, we watch, we listen, and we slowly become absorbed.
- Technically, this film spells the name "Lecktor," but I didn't want to switch spellings when referring to different versions of the character.
- The film also features Chris Elliott and Bill Smitrovich.
