Manhunter

Manhunter, Michael Mann’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ 1981 best-seller, Red Dragon, never really worked for me until recently. It didn’t for many critics when it first arrived in theaters in 1986, either. Walter Goodman, writing in The New York Times, called the film “a snappy police procedural” but noted that “the main trouble is Mr. Mann’s taste for overkill.” Others had the opposite complaint, that Mann’s stylish direction was the highlight of an otherwise conventional thriller. Although the film was a commercial and critical disappointment upon its release, its reputation has improved over time, especially after the popularity and Oscar success of The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Harris’ sequel. When Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter became an instant movie icon, viewers realized the character had been onscreen once before, though named “Hannibal Lecktor” and portrayed by Brian Cox. Moreover, as Mann became increasingly popular with his hit TV series Miami Vice (1984-1990) and later the epic feature Heat (1995), his earlier films underwent a major reappraisal. Today, Manhunter is celebrated as a pioneering psychological thriller and a precursor to the now-common forensic procedural. But some of Mann’s choices, and several extratextual factors, still prevent me from fully connecting with it.

The full review is currently exclusive to Patreon subscribers. To read it, you can purchase access to this piece alone, or you can join Deep Focus Review’s Patron community, where you’ll receive exclusive access to this and many other reviews, essays, and blogs published only on Patreon.

Patrons also get access to:

• A newsletter every Monday
• Streaming recommendations every Friday
• Polls to pick the movies reviewed on Deep Focus Review and Patreon
• Access to the open AMA and DFR Community