This is a fine film and well crafted, with all the elements of a thriller in place. Anthony Hopkins does a good job of recreating his role as Lector and Ed Norton is adequate in his part as the FBI agent. However, as usual in films that feature her, Emily Watson overshadows all the other actors with a performance that is nothing less than superb. With her stunning eyes she is the perfect choice to play a woman who has spectacularly beautiful eyes but is sadly blind. Few other actors in the history of motion pictures have captured so excellently a blind person while always wide-eyed and without the aid of something like sunglasses. Watson should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for what she adds to this film, although in reality she is almost the star. Emily Watson is the most gifted actor of our time and her body of work reflects challenging triumphs in roles that have resulted in two Oscar nominations. She has devoted much time to her family and has not been used in as many films as one can be sure she has been begged to be part of. It is amazing that she seems almost ageless and has she progresses into her 40's she has lost none of her simple beauty and rapid undercurrent of extreme sexuality. She is not beautiful in the Hollywood clichéd sense of the word. This is a real woman who is beautiful in the sense that viewers of her films can not take their eyes of her in any scene in which she appears. She has a electromagnetic sexuality that is overwhelming and entices audiences to surrender themselves to her completely. This is a woman with a unique talent that is unsurpassed by any other female working in film today. Each of her films is truly a gift of herself and unforgettable for simply her presence in them. She is capable of taking each film and making it her own to do with as she wishes, just as she has in a very personal way with this reviewer. It with eager anticipation that each piece of her work is awaited. Even in fluff such as the Waterhorse, her scenes with Ben Chaplin and the explosive chemistry of repressed passion she brought to them is what is memorable. Only she could elevate an Adam Sandler movie like Punch Drunk Love to the level of high art. Red Dragon will be remembered by most people for what she brought to it and who she is. Emily Watson once again gives a performance that is an astonishing achievement and an unforgettable gift to audiences. It is unique talent to make every single member of an audience feel as if an actor has reached from the screen and touched each of their individual hearts with her essence as a human being. This, simply put, is Emily Watson, actor and woman. I deduct one star from my rating for the director not taking more advantage of having the greatest actress of our time at his disposal!
Review of Red Dragon
