A very serious, and conveniently photogenic, FBI man named Will Graham (William Petersen) takes a personal interest in catching a serial killer. It's an average thriller.

The first half is quite good as Graham, recovering from psychological trauma of a previous case, learns about the current killer, called the "tooth fairy"; consults with other cops; and gathers forensic evidence. He interviews Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox) in prison, to see if Lecktor can help him psychoanalyze the tooth fairy. There is a subtle sense of alienation about all the characters, trapped in their urban environments. Glass and windows play into this motif.

Unfortunately, the second half is terrible. It's like it was written by an amateur scriptwriter. While the first half focuses on Graham, the second half alternates between Graham and the tooth fairy, presenting a choppy, back-and-forth plot structure. Further, the killer is introduced too abruptly, and scenes generally lack effective transitions.

We never learn much about the killer's motivation. The "lunar cycle" theme is not explained, nor are we given much explanation about the "red dragon". Various geographic locations seem arbitrary. The appearance of the killer, especially when he's first introduced, is laughable. And the film's ending is preposterous and silly.

The film has a distinctive 1980s look and feel, with its fashions, slow-motion camera shots, and music track. Except for the killer, casting is acceptable. Acting ranges from acceptable to below average. Joan Allen gives a really nice performance.

If the second half had maintained the quality of the first half, this film would have been quite good. As is, "Manhunter" is an average cop movie, wherein the villain is a kind of stereotyped, and rather typical, bogeyman.

3 July 2002. I had to read through the comment index twice to make sure that I had never commented on this film. Before there was Silence or the Lambs or Hannibal, before CSI, William Petersen starred in an amazingly similar role (of his now famous, number one hit television series) in the movie Manhunter, which I consider one of the best movies ever made. I can understand some of the criticisms written about this movie, but it really depends on what you look for in a movie. For me, this movie had realism, a stylish seriousness that didn't try to make fancy, polished statements. The dialogue was real, hard-hitting something you could listen and hear in real life, but in a dramatic - slice of life way, hitting the key points in a murder investigation.

Yes, there were many, many slow moments, but real moments - a father and his son in a grocery store - that scene was polished, wasn't acted to perfection. This scene was one real kid talking about his fears, he wasn't even looking at the camera or his father, just off into space like a real kid. The investigation process was smooth, methodical, scientific and luck. There was the early scene in the meeting room which played out as in real life - and the Tooth Angel - comment was portrayed as a serious event even though people laughed. The serial killer was real, even sympathetic at times. And Hannibal was even more scary because he was so cool, somebody without a soul but who could be charming as a good salesman on the phone.

There really isn't a bad scene that I can find in this movie and I've scene the movie perhaps ten times. The music blended well into the fear and excitement, drama and tension without being overwhelming. The deaths were not for shock value for themselves but as stated factual reality - sometimes death is bloody, but not for cheap thrills for moviegoers.

The seen where police come to protect some innocent people was a great scene of (what I would think) were real police officers talking as they would normally, "I think you better go into the house ma'am." It was anything like in the mothers. That scene by the police wasn't acted it was a re-enactment of what would really happen, and it was compelling, dramatic. Yet, the movie at the same time amazingly never came across like real TV. There were production values, there were lines performed, but they were performed with serious intention, to communicate more dramatically what occurs in real life. The movie was like a photograph that was touched up to make the edges appear sharper, the colors more brilliant. There were dramatic ocean scenes, stark blood-bathed bedroom scenes.

The characters were memorable, their relations with other characters moving, the plot riveting in its steering away from typical Hollywood productions, playing over the top, shooting, mayhem, action just for special effects sake. Nothing was done in this movie but to really let the audience soak in the experience - the building tempo, building urgency of crime investigation, the humanity of the people killed and those targeted for death. The only flaw was the reporter who really was the only character who for whatever reason was a stereotype of tabloid journalism.

I would recommend this movie to any one who cares about murder mystery in a slow, methodical way that builds into a more heart-pounding climax. It is definitely not all action, blood and guts, it is an intellectually stimulating thinking, feeling movie that even those emotional women and men might be able to appreciate. This is a must see if you like to soak in the colors, the hard edges of step by step forensics and a no-holds barred snap shots of style and substance combined into one sleeper of a movie that Anthony Hopkins will have a real challenge in starring in a remake. 10 out of 10.

Although THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is the film that everyone remembers for Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lector, I find that in most cases the general public don't realise that Hopkins was not the first actor to play Lector. No, that dubious honour goes to Brian Cox, whose brief but powerful turn as Lector in MANHUNTER is just one of the film's many highlights. I didn't really know what to expect when I watched this film; I'd heard that it was good, but little did I realise just HOW good it was. MANHUNTER is one of the very best films about a serial killer I've seen; this is an intelligent, exciting and thought-provoking story which I actually preferred to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in some respects.

This is a disturbing film too, although without the grossness of the film that followed it. Here, the violence is left to the imagination, which makes it all the more effective. Usually the police investigations in these films are dry and boring, but here, as the characters doing the investigating are very human, it becomes interesting and watchable. The cast is first rate; especially good is Peterson as the slightly disturbed FBI man haunted by his previous encounters with Cox. He is equalled by the underrated Tom Noonan, who is simply brilliant as the killer, Francis Dollarhyde. Noonan would forever be typecast as a baddie after this performance, but his work here is excellent as he creates a childish, sympathetic man who cannot control the urges or what he does.

The strong supporting cast includes Joan Allen (very good) as a blind victim; Dennis Farina as a fellow cop (wait, doesn't he always play that role?), and Stephen Lang as a nerdy reporter who meets a fate worse than death. Michael Mann's assured direction keeps the film believable and interesting at all times; MANHUNTER is exciting when it needs to be and very disturbing at other times (especially that scene with Dollarhyde with the stocking over his head... an image guaranteed to give you nightmares). Odd scenes like the burning wheelchair victim are unexpected and help to keep you on your toes. A rare film that doesn't underestimate the intelligence of the audience, MANHUNTER is a perfectly-made film that should be rewatched in the days of populist stuff like SEVEN and THE BONE COLLECTOR just to remember how good it is.