Manhunter (1986)

Former FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial murderer named "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

Thomas Harris (based on the book "Red Dragon" by), Michael Mann (screenplay by)

Stars:

William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Petersen	...	Will Graham
Kim Greist	...	Molly Graham
Joan Allen	...	Reba McClane
Brian Cox	...	Dr. Hannibal Lecktor
Dennis Farina	...	Jack Crawford
Tom Noonan	...	Francis Dollarhyde
Stephen Lang	...	Freddy Lounds
David Seaman	...	Kevin Graham
Benjamin Hendrickson	...	Dr. Frederick Chilton
Michael Talbott	...	Geehan
Dan Butler	...	Jimmy Price (as Dan E. Butler)
Michele Shay	...	Beverly Katz
Robin Moseley	...	Sarah
Paul Perri	...	Dr. Sidney Bloom
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Mrs. Sherman

Storyline

Will Graham is a former FBI agent who recently retired to Florida with his wife Molly and their young son. Graham was a 'profiler'; one who profiles criminal's behavior and tries to put his mind into the minds of criminals to examine their thoughts while visiting crime scenes. Will is called out of his self-imposed retirement at the request of his former boss Jack Crawford to help the FBI catch an elusive serial killer, known to the press as the 'Tooth Fairy', who randomly kills whole families in their houses during nights of the full moon and leaves bite marks on his victims. To try to search for clues to get into the mind of the killer, Will has occasional meetings with Dr. Hannibal Lecktor, a charismatic but very dangerous imprisoned serial killer that Will captured years earlier which nearly drove him insane from the horrific encounter that nearly cost Will's life. With some help and hindrance, Will races against the clock before the next full moon when the 'Tooth Fairy' will ...

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | hannibal lecter | neo noir | fbi | profiler | 

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Taglines:

It's just you and me now, sport...

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red Dragon: The Curse of Hannibal Lecter

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,204,400, 17 August 1986, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$8,620,929

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), Red Dragon Productions S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 124 min (director's cut) 85 min (video)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second cop movie with William Petersen that he did with a director from Chicago. The first was To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) from director William Friedkin. The second is this film directed by Michael Mann. Both directors are from Chicago and good friends with each other for a long time and both know Petersen.

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Goofs

Cans and boxes behind Graham and his son in the supermarket.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Crawford: We should have talked at the boatyard. You don't wanna talk about it here.
Will Graham: I'm not fallin' all over myself to talk about much anywhere, Jack.

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Alternate Versions

Video versions there is an exchange between Graham and Crawford, missing from both Anchor Bay DVD versions: CRAWFORD: You sympathize with this guy? GRAHAM: As a child, my heart bleeds for him. Someone took a little boy and turned him into a monster. But as an adult... as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to fulfill some sick fantasy. As an adult, I think someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks.[Turns around in his chair to face Crawford.] Are you uncomfortable with this kind of understanding?[Crawford pivots to put his back against the wall.]" This exchange would take place in Anchor Bay's "Theatrical release" version at about Chapter 25, 1:36:35. Furthermore, the "Director's version" appears to be a near-finished work print, with sloppy titles, and some clumsy sped up and slow motion transitions (when Graham is talking to the Birmingham real estate agent, and when Dolarhyde kidnaps Reba). It also features a visit by Graham to the "next in line" victims after Reba's rescue, that was arguably best left on the cutting room floor.

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Connections

Referenced in Il solitario (2008)

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Soundtracks

STRONG AS I AM
Performed by The Prime Movers
Courtesy of ISLAND RECORDS
Written by Severs Ramsey, Gary Putman, Curt Lichter and Gregory Martel
Published by ISLAND MUSIC, INC. / BAD BASKET MUSIC

User Reviews

Basically the most underrated thriller of all time.

Besides the fact that it was released without much hoopla in 1986, and that it was recently remade(the same exact movie except for the end) as Red Dragon, Manhunter is undoubtedly the most overlooked movie of the past 20 years. The plot is tremendous, Mann's direction is outstanding, and the acting(especially Noonan) is equally amazing. What Mann realized while making this film is that a thriller was not just meant to shock and disgust the audience but to develop the characters carefully so that there is an even greater sense of anticipation for the climax of the movie than there otherwise would be. Recent thrillers are clearly lacking in the character development that made movies like Manhunter and Silence of the Lambs so good. Its a shame that Red Dragon had to be made, since it is basically a strait ripoff of Manhunter except for a different ending which is much worse than the original and way too predictable. Anyone who thinks Red Dragon was a good movie should watch Manhunter and compare the two. If you try this you'll see that there is no comparison. Tom Noonan's performance alone is worth the watch.