USA Today, 10/04/2002, p.13D, "...RED DRAGON lets Anthony Hopkins have more fun for fun's sake than he has ever had playing history's most urbane cannibal..."
Box Office, 12/01/2002, p.62, "...An exceptional thriller....Solid, well-crafted..."
Total Film, 11/01/2002, p.100-1, "...A deeply atmospheric chiller that maintains a constant hum of droning menace....You'll be gnawing away at your cuticles..."
Variety, 09/30/2002, p.24-71, "...Hannibal Lecter scores again in RED DRAGON....Inescapably creepy....An intense, unnerving experience..."
Chicago Sun-Times, 10/04/2002, p.35, "...[Ratner] does a sure, stylish job, appreciating the droll humor of Lecter's predicament, creating a depraved new villain in the Tooth Fairy, and using the quiet intense skills of Norton..."
Theatrical release: October 4, 2002
D-VHS Features:
Note: D-VHS VCR hardware required
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - French
Dolby Surround - French
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Brett Ratner - Director, Ted Tally - Writer
Additional Audio Material - Music Score Commentary - 1. Danny Elfman - Composer
Making-of - 1. THE MAKING OF RED DRAGON
Featurette - 1. ANTHONY HOPKINS: LECTER AND ME
Documentary - 1. Lecter's FBI File and Life History
2. Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer - Hosted By John Douglas
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Production Notes
Cast and Filmmakers
DVD-ROM Features:
Total Axess
Recommendations
Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, RED DRAGON stars Edward Norton as Will Graham, the intuitive FBI agent who captured the notorious Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). When another killer, dubbed "the Tooth Fairy," begins a series of bizarre, seemingly random killings, the now-retired Graham reluctantly agrees to aid in the investigation. In order to get further into the mind set of the murderer, Graham consults the imprisoned Lecter, who offers cryptic commentary that the determined agent must decipher. However, the Tooth Fairy himself, Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), is also in contact with the infamous epicurean, and the case soon develops into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, with Lecter deviously playing both sides.
Rather than attempting to remake MANHUNTER--Michael Mann's 1986 adaptation of RED DRAGON starring William L. Petersen as Graham and Brian Cox as Lecter--or recreate the monster-movie atmosphere of HANNIBAL, director Brett Ratner wisely chooses to focus on the character-driven specifics of the first Hannibal Lecter novel. As in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, the unblinking Hopkins makes the most out of his screen time as the eloquent yet terrifying former forensic psychologist. Norton is excellently understated as the talented investigator, while Fiennes explores the full range of his conflicted character, from a sensitive man-child to a methodical psychopath. These key performances are enhanced by strong supporting turns by Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harvey Keitel, and Mary-Louise Parker. Ratner's capable direction extends to his choice of crew, which includes SILENCE OF THE LAMBS screenwriter Ted Tally and production designer Kristen Zea, as well as MANHUNTER cinematographer Dante Spinotti. This collection of talent combines to create an engaging and eerie thriller that brings the Hopkins-as-Lecter trilogy full circle.