Train Kept a-Rolling

A couple of nights ago, I watched Red Dragon. Never saw it before. Couldn't help comparing it to Manhunter as I watched it.

While they're adaptations of the same novel, they are very different movies. Manhunter is a solid '80s Michael Mann neo-noir; Red Dragon is a product of the Hannibal Lector fascination. Both casts are very good, with Anthony Hopkins slipping comfortably into his established role at the center of the film; Brian Cox's Lector is somehow cruder and more ... I don't know. Ed Norton turns in his expected very good performance, but he doesn't carry Will Graham's world-weariness like William Petersen.

Different times, different expectations.