The genre of horror movies is filled with some of the worst movies ever created. Most horror movies are generic, straight forward, and filled with mindless gore. Directors of horror movies must think that plotlines and acting are not important when compared to how much gore and suspense they can fit into two hours. Luckily, this is not the case with “Red Dragon.” “Red Dragon” is filled with all the things that everyone expects from a horror movie: suspense and gore, but it also has a strong plot to back it up.
“Red Dragon” is the prelude to “The Silence of the Lambs,” therefore the director had the added pressure of staying true to the story and not destroying the series. “Red Dragon” was able to do both of these things successfully, however the director might have tried a little too hard to reference, “The Silence of the Lambs.” The movie starting with Hannibal getting caught put Hannibal in a completely different perspective for the rest of the film. Hannibal was caught mere minutes after he was introduced and made him look unintelligent for being caught so easily. Trying to convince the audience that Hannibal is in fact a genius after showing them him being caught seemingly by accident is impossible. If I hadn’t previously seen “Silence of the Lambs” I would never be able to respect Hannibal while watching “Red Dragon.”
A strength of “Red Dragon” was their incredibly strong actors. Anthony Hopkins dominates as every role he takes and this movie was no exception even if the script painted him in the wrong light. Ralph Fiends, who plays the main villain, shows that he can not only play a likeable character like Schindler in “Schindler’s List,” but that he can also play a character that can get the audiences blood pumping by simply being on screen. Emily Watson, an actor I had previously not even known about played a blind woman so well that I actually believed she was blind. One of the most stunning images in the entire film is when blood splatters on her face and she doesn’t bat an eye. Having such control over her body is something few actors have.
“Red Dragon” is a very good movie that is worthy of being a piece of the “The Silence of the Lambs” series. Without giving anything away, the ending is superb and brings the audience on a rollercoaster ride. “Red Dragon” is one of the few good horror movies.
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