Manhunter is Amazing 

Usually, the protagonist talking to themselves is cheesy, but this movie made it seem realistic. Like talking out loud was the only way Graham was holding onto sanity, by keeping it outside himself.

Thief, Manhunter, and Heat feel like a sort of trilogy for Mann.

Best version of Lector for me too. He felt so real in this. That's what made him scary.

My favorite scene in this movie is when Graham is looking out the window in the cafe. The raw emotion hits so hard with both the soundtrack and the way he says "I'm sorry too" after replaying the murder victim's answering machine message. Not to mention it's a gorgeous shot visually, with the rain obscured neon lights in the distance past Grahams reflection.

The brutal irony of Dollarhyde's psychopathy is that he yearned to be seen in his victim's eyes, yet the only person who ever embraced and showed affection for him, even for a short amount of time, was a blind woman.

Manhunter is my favourite movie of all time for the reasons you describe and more. The "you've seen these films" scene and spine chilling Graham's Theme must be the best combination ever produced for a scene. Epic.

I remember watching this in the mid 2000s on Flix, I caught half of it, and the storyline just drew me in. After watching it, I went to Borders books & music, and found the DVD (The directors cut) I was captivated by it. This film is so stylistic in every way, from the cinematography aspect down to the actors themselves, it has this organic quality we rarely see anymore. Will Grahams character in many ways is just an Average guy, with a above average knack for catching bad people. Tom Noonan played that bad guy role perfectly, he was relatable, charming - but there is dark and evil presence he had that just goes above and beyond. Even the soundtrack fits this movie down to the T. I know it’s been said before, but this film by far, is superior to silence of the lambs. Brian Cox’s Hannibal, was nothing short of superb, that scene when he calls out of the prison to get Will Graham’s home address, is that eerie reminder of just how intelligent and dangerous Hannibal is. I’m glad Michael Mann strayed from the gore, instead we see a bloody room, in which we as an audience - will draw up our own scenes in our mind of what happened.

The playout music you used is under the riveting scene where Graham realizes the killer has watched the tapes, when he knows where to find him. And he knows BEFORE he knows, cause he makes the call to the evidence locker before it fully hits him. One of the best acted, written, scored, and edited scenes in filmdom. So skillful to pull a twist on a character that the audience also feels deeply even though they already know it. And Dennis Farina helped by just being Dennis Farina and calling the evidence room and not pestering Will mid-revelation.

Noonan’s scary portrayal of a strong psycho reminds me of Lang’s performance in the recent Don’t Breathe horror movie who was also in this movie!

What is it about William Petersen that makes you wanna watch his movies over and over again?

Love this film. The whole package- visually, soundtrack, acting. A +.

There is no mention of Lecter being a cannibal in this movie. It's in my Top 5 Movies of all time , and I cherish it. Much better than the subsequent films that whored out the story.

I love the book but am glad Mann changed the ending from the super bleak one to a more heroic one. I hope you do more Michael Mann movies. Thief especially. Walter Hill did some real bangers too like The Driver and Extreme Prejudice along with Southern Comfort and the 48 Hours movies.

I saw this in-theater during the summer of '86 and it remains my favorite "serial killer must be stopped" thriller to this day. Arguably Micheal Mann at the height of his talent... "Heat" may be his magnum opus, but I think "Manhunter" remains his masterpiece. Brian Cox's "Dr. Lecktor" has always seemed much more threatening than any later portrayals IMHO.

I really enjoy Brian Cox in the role. And the sensuality Mann uses in creating the film is fantastic

My favorite scene is the "you've seen these films, haven't you my man?". You see him analyze, think, conclude and the music is awesome. Now I can't find that clip on YT! No other Hannibal movie even comes close.

My favorite installment is the Red dragon story in general.

I remember seeing William Peterson and Tom Noonan in an episode of CSI. They should have got Micheal Mann to direct that episode!

the Tooth Fairy was so damn scary in this film. Great analysis, I hope this movie gets more recognition soon.

All I can say is I agree 100% I always loved the Atmosphere of this movie and saw it a couple of years before the Silence of the lambs. I still rewatch it today. I think now all the Lecter movies have aged people now look back at manhunter and don’t just see an 80s movie and it’s getting the respect it deserves.

Great job. I remember watching this movie back in the day and being blown away, and not really sure exactly why. The thing is it was for so many reasons that one didn't just stand out. William Petersen was amazing. I know you paid props to the other actors including Brian Cox, but for me it was all about the performance of Petersen. Michael Mann was a genius of the time, he proved it with Miami Vice and then again with this movie. The thing was that when I thought about this movie, it was all about Petersen and about the killer Dollarhyde. I actually forgot that it even had Lecktor in it. After watching this movie I was hoping that we would get TV shows like this, the whole psychology and profiling. Unfortunately instead we got a bunch of shows about detectives with ESP or that could communicate with ghosts. It was a couple years before we got CSI and then Criminal Minds. Those were the shows that I wanted! I also read the book Red Dragon and enjoyed it, probably more than you did, and I also probably enjoyed the remake Red Dragon more than you did as well. Yes it paled in comparison to the original but I thought it was pretty good, but yes, strangely one of the best actors around Edward Norton came out flat and Ralph Fiennes stole the show. Anyway, thanks again for a great video.

I agree with everything you said, I would also like to add that I think the wardrobe department for this film did a very good job, it would've been very easy to see some crazy 80s fashion in this film, but that didn't happen at all, and you could easily see anyone wearing the same clothes nowadays, which in turn gives it a real timeless quality.

I love this movie because it has so much things that you have to think about that are not explained like the mind game in the cell and How lector plays with Will from the moment he steps in the cell. He then makes that call and gets the information he needs which Will and the others are then set up with the letter he has that has the little clues he knows they will find and that gets the journalist killed and the killer has Wills home address after they have been running in circles wasting time as the full moon is a few days away. The first clue Will gets is so brilliantly done, when watching the video he stops it to phones his wife to get his mind into what the killer thought about Mrs Leeds and works out he had to take his gloves off. That scene could go over people heads as Will struggles and uses his feelings of his wife to connect with the killer. I could go on all day about this misunderstood movie that is in the shadow of the next movie but it’s the best one for me and I saw it in the 80s and still watch it to this day as it’s brilliant.

Manhunter is not only that rare 10/10 film but IMHO on of the top tier films ever made. Every single time I see it I find myself engaged in a kind of emotional mental state that no other film have ever made me. I think what hits most is that the actors are not being actors but so deep into their characters that they have become them as if they went beyond acting. Quite telling that William couldn't get out of character after shooting that he had to redo his hairstyle in order to see a different person in the mirror to get away from Will Graham which ironically is exactly the problem that Will have in the movie with trying to get Lector and Dollarhyde of of his mind. The greatest sin of the 2002 remake is that they added in more Hannibal at the cost of Will, in that (and unfortunately also in the 2013 tv series) Will gets demoted from who he is and what he can do to just being Hannibals lapdog where he have to constantly consult Hannibal on every single tiny matter. To me this is a great insult to Will which makes me detest those two productions a lot even though they are technically quite good productions. I love the book but man do I hate the ending, it's so cliche and run of the mill that one see it coming a mile away (not to mention that "hmm the main antagonist just died but there are X number of pages left, wonder what that might suggest") so I'm glad that Michael Mann changed that one and did the Peter Jackson move of realizing that there are no need to shoot the book as is because what would the need of the film be if it is just a clone of the book? The only downside of Manhunter is that Tom Noonan looks a bit too old and way to lean for Dollarhyde but at least he got the height and the menacing stature that Ralph Fiennes completely lacked.

Peterson as Graham, he truly felt damaged from his previous encounter with Lector, and I felt there was a genuine risk to his mental health, as well as maybe a risk to his loved ones by getting to drawn in. Tom Noonan's portrayal Tooth fairy was as scary as it was tragic, during the scene when they were lying in bed, he looked so vulnerable, as if he really wanted to change from his present path as love was strong enough to make him stop (I had hope that they would run off into the sunset and live happily ever after together). Then sat outside watching Reba getting dropped off by their colleague, as the Tooth fairy tears the Dashboard any hope i had of the sunset ending died, especially when he responded "Francis is gone". The Score, Wow what a score/soundtrack, i own it, its in my top 5 maybe top 3, and i have collected my top 120+ movie scores. Supporting cast, excellent not a single weak performance, absolutely hated Freddie Lounds in this version (hated in the right way, hated the character not the excellent performance by Stephen Lang) I agree Brian Cox played Lector brilliantly (Hopkins i felt expanded Lector after SOTL, and the character lost something due to public or studio demands). When Red Dragon was released, i knew nothing of it and my partner was a Lector fan, anyway we went to the cinema to see it, on seeing the opening scene I realized it was just fan service, seeing how Lector got caught, and a remake. I knew within minutes i preferred Manhunter, years later we watched Manhunter together, my partner agreed the original was a better movie even though she stilled preferred Hopkins in the Lector role. That's my two cents, cheers and best wishes.

It's so fascinating that after it came out this movie was derided as too of its time. Now its beloved for that exact reason. Every frame is a painting, every drone of the syth draws you in. Its almost fantasy like, then pierced by horrible story beats. A bold film that embraces the time it's made will always appeal to me more. Im not one of those people who rages against modern films (when havent people been calling the decade they live in the worst in film history) but I think the vague 15 minutes into the future vibe a lot of films have will look a lot less special in 20 years.

I saw this movie in college during its theatrical release and I was mesmerized by the performances and the films attention to detail. William Peterson was coming off the equally brilliant To Live And Die In LA, and his performance is light years ahead of Ed Norton's surprisingly uninspired take on the Will Graham character. Silence of the Lambs gets all the pub, but this film is simply better in every way, shape, and form. Brian Cox plays Lector as a living, breathing human being whereas Hopkins' Lector is a cartoon character living in a cartoonish correctional facility. In terms of menacing characters, there is no viable comparison between Buffalo Bill and the Tooth Fairy. Tom Noonan oozes danger on both an emotional and physical (e.g., Noonan is 6'7") level whereas the Buffalo Bill character is depicted as being odd, unstable, and reclusive. I'm not a big fan of Top 10 lists, but I would rank Manhunter as 1 of my Top 10 favorite films.

Brian Cox was terrific here as well as the video game "Manhunt" from 2003 playing director Starkweather.

I Saw This movie when i was 15 an had it on a loop An 2 this day Will Graham is my all time Favorite Fictional Charter❤️ Still to this day in Books, Movies, an Tv

Brian Cox as Hannibal is the only Hannibal for me. Insane, genius, totally without any conscience, deadlier than a black mamba, quiet, perceptive to the point of leaving the viewer in “AWE” ( “you owe me awe” says Francis, but Lector is who is owed awe). I had no idea who Brian Cox was and I think the next time I saw him was in a movie I enjoyed very much entitled “ The Long KISS Goodnight” and in it he is a old CIA operative that appears so grandfatherly I almost had a stroke when his voice finally lead me to a “ Oh my gosh!!! That’s Hannibal Lector!” moment. Also without a doubt, the absolute best version of Manhunter ( the only version I watch) is the one that has Graham going to visit the intended next victim because “I just had to see you”. Just about my favorite movie of all time. The movie has a single flaw in my view and to me it is a major irritation. In the scene where the photograph is taken to be published in the Tatler to hopefully lure the killer out to be trapped by the FBI the detestable and much hated by Graham reporter “Lound’s” places his hand on Graham’s shoulder. In the book, Graham places his hand on Lowndes’ shoulder thereby designating him as Graham’s “pet“. Graham tells us in the movie that the killer always kills the victim family’s pet. Lounds is kidnapped and slaughtered by Dollarhyde leaving the reader in the book to speculate as to whether Graham set Lowndes up to be slaughtered, thereby demonstrating that his mind is such that he, like Lector and Dollarhyde, can coolly, calmly slaughter his prey by something as seemingly innocent and casual as a mere calculated hand placement in a photograph. Was Michael Mann asleep that day? Perhaps he thought the average viewer wouldn’t pick up the subtle point, so better to give Graham another opportunity to show how much he hates Lounds by letting him roughly brush Lounds hand from Graham’s shoulder. Interesting sidenote : I remember being so amazed that a photographic copy of the driver’s license of Dollarhyde was somehow magically transported through the air to the Learjet Graham and Crawford were flying in on their way to try to stop the final murder. Could such technology actually exist!? Never had this young practicing attorney been exposed to such mind blowing techno wizardry! It came to be known by the world as a fax!

Over the point movie. I like your video and your opinion. Manhunter was always better then silence of the lambs.

To me two stand out things about this movie, a song and a scene, that I think don't get mentioned that much are the perfect way the song Freeze by Klaus Schulze fits in the scene in which Graham and Dr. Lecter (or as this movie calls him Lector) are talking in that cell, it is a beautiful song but gives you some sensation of dread or at least that something is not right beneath the surface of that melody; as for the scene it is the one in which Graham talks to his son in the supermarket about what happened to him after he caught Lecter, he speaks to him in an open manner about his mental struggle, he is willing to show that vulnerable side to that young boy because he thinks he is mature enough to understand and the truth was the best way to tackle that issue otherwise a rift between the two could had been created.

Great vid, Redux.....I also highly recommend Mann's previous film, "Thief" with James Caan....it is incredible too

Brian Cox is by far the best version of Hannibal brought to the screen and William Peterson blows Edward Norton out of the water

Fantastic video! Fantastic analysis. This should have much more views. And I agree with you; Manhunter IS phenomenal. And I agree thatthe soundtrack is so on point with the 80s synthy coolness coupled with the Inagaddavida climax.

Totally agree with you’re rating, What a masterpiece.

Great review of "Manhunter." Haven't seen it in years, but between this and the revisits of "To Live and Die in LA," I'm going to have to give it another look. I would be very curious to hear what you have to say about "Hannibal," although I'm not sure I want to sentence you to slogging through three seasons of a gay grand opera. My hunch is that if you loved "Manhunter," you're not going to be keen on "Hannibal." Now, don't get me wrong. Technically, it was one of the slickest (and sickest) shows ever made; and I'm glad it brought Mads Mickleson the popularity he deserved, although I'm not sure this is the role I'd want to be remembered for. Storywise though, it's just really a long gay seduction story with Uber-Cultured Mads as the Ultimate "How Could You Resist Me?" object and Will Graham reduced to a fluttery little fem that Mads wants to rescue from boring heterosexual domesticity. If you thought Tony Hopkins was over the top, he's nothing compared to Mad's performance, ending with Graham finally falling, figuratively and literally, for him. There's never been anything like it on television, and there probably never will again.

Yes! The novels are the best way to experience this franchise. But .. Hannibal is a great movie!! "Hoelocherus Meinertnzaganni. Ring any bells?"

Tom Noonan being cast as Dolarhyde (“Dollarhyde”) was the best choice the producers of Manhunter made.

Hopkins was okay in SoTL but afterwards he just wasn't believable, Edward Norton was incredibly miscast as well. I prefer Mads overall but greatly prefer Cox to Hopkins. I watched Manhunter and then Red Dragon, honestly I was cringing through half of it (RD that is). I've been reading Red Dragon and it is interesting just how much of it is in the Hannibal TV series, even Harris' foreword about his dogs and his home looking like a boat is used. You can tell how much Bryan Fuller loved the book.

As much as I love Anthony & mads, I wonder how silence to the lambs would’ve been if they used Brian Cox.

I couldn't agree more :)

I really feel that if I'd seen Silence of the Lambs first, I might well have liked it, but having seen it after Manhunter (my favourite film until I saw Heat) I thought Hopkins was ridiculous compared to Cox's realism and subtlety. My only disagreement with your video is that I'd give the soundtrack prize to Shriekback, whom I discovered due to this movie, and is still one of my favourite bands. Brilliant video, excellent analysis.

I’m pretty sure you know Anthony Hopkins only had 16 minutes of screen time in Silence of the Lamb

Couldn't agree more with your analysis

I agree. Loved the film and bought it.

Peterson was great

Easily my favorite of the series. SILENCE is great, too, but this one remains impactful - I shudder at this film's memories; I only wince at SILENCE. Oddly, both of those books I rate as "worse than their movies", especially the seedy adjuncts that Harris vomits onto SILENCE's pages... an affair? FBI threatening Clarice with flunking out? WHY WASTE OUR TIME?!!

Fully agree with your assessment

God damn it! Every time I start one of your videos I think my phone is ringing!

William peterson was the 80s man.manhunter, to live and die in la, young guns 2

Way back, in the before time, I had a pay television movie channel on cable. I was working odd hours, and early one morning this movie came as a delightful surprise and oh so cool. Brian Cox's performance was superb, and chilling enough that I learned the actor's name. Dennis Farina gave it quality street credibility. Speaking of Dennis Farina, his role in the movie "Snatch", where he could not understand other people's accent's, was absolutely terrific. Highly recommend that to everybody. Really enjoyed your editing. New subscriber.

Ditto!!!

Agree

quality 👍

The TV show is my favorite Will/Hannibal adaption (though Manhunter is right the hell up there). But for my money, Tom Noonan IS Francis Dolarhyde.

Cox is subliminally creepy! Peterson is great as the vulnerable & haunted Will Graham!

Brian Cox played a perfect Hannibal

Dream much, Will? The remake wasn't bad but was completely unnecessary. This original made the careers of William Petersen, Tom Noonan and Brian Cox. Even Dennis Farina as a sadly out of place Jack Crawford. I vastly prefer Brian Cox's take on Lecter over Anthony Hopkins, though of course I am in the minority on that.

This movie is awesome!!

I watch every year at least 1.

Omfg dude seriously needed a glass of water before recording the audio for this video!😂🤦🏻

Manhunter is the reason Brian Cox had a career... well, I would have to make some mention of Silence of the Lambs, but only as a footnote.

Manhunter isn't much better film the photography and lighting and the cast do it for me Brian Cox sends shiver down my spine I give it 10 out of 10

its great that what feels like a relatively forgotten film, certainly within the wider context of Hannibal Lecter, is so highly regarded. I agree, this is superior to Silence of the Lambs. The scene with the tiger is stunning, not sure if in the book(?), but for me a great moment in cinema that i've kept with me for a long time

I think you should give the show a viewing. It deffinatly takes alot of creative liberties with the story and honestly becomes it's own thing. But that's not to say it isn't Red Dragon. It's more like a dark fever dream version of the story and well worth a watch if you're a fan of the symbiotic relationship with Will and the Not so good Doctor. Also if you think man hunter was beautifully shot. The show is something else. I swear you could pause at any moment and you'd have a work of art.

anyone know where to watch to live and die in l a

The Hannibal show is incredible imo. Mads mikkelson is my favorite adaptation of the character, and Hugh Dancy is almost as great as Peterson. That being said Manhunter is my favorite of all the Hannibal related media out there

half a century for zodiacs diagonulls xD and i fell for it -.-

Way underrated even with a few bad cuts and weak 80s lines... Silence of the lambs was a disgrace!

you need to speak up!!

This soundtrack is the tits!

Michael Mann's real masterpiece is Thief, not Manhunter

Great film but Dolarhyde wasn't convincing as a bodybuilder.

Manhunter is amazing but the show Hannibal might be a better adaptation of the books their both breathtaking in different ways the Hannibal show is definitely more cerebral and manhunter is more psychological

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WATCH THE HANNIBAL TV SHOW! ITS SO AMAZING! 😂😂

nope...not in 2024.