Red Dragon (2002)

A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.

Director:

Brett Ratner

Writers:

Thomas Harris (novel), Ted Tally (screenplay)

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Edward Norton	...	Will Graham
Ralph Fiennes	...	Francis Dolarhyde
Harvey Keitel	...	Jack Crawford
Emily Watson	...	Reba McClane
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Molly Graham
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Freddy Lounds
Anthony Heald	...	Dr. Frederick Chilton
Ken Leung	...	Lloyd Bowman
Frankie Faison	...	Barney Matthews
Tyler Patrick Jones	...	Josh Graham
Lalo Schifrin	...	Conductor
Tim Wheater	...	Flautist
John Rubinstein	...	Dinner Guest
David Doty	...	Dinner Guest

Storyline

3 Years after retiring from the FBI because of a near-fatal encounter with Hannibal Lecter, who was helping him catch the "Chesapeake Ripper", only to reveal it was Hannibal himself, Will Graham is asked by his ex-partner Jack Crawford to come solve one last case - 2 slaughtered families every full moon. They have 3 weeks until the next full moon to find the madman, but an innocent blind woman has found him first... Will Graham must risk his family's security and his own safety to track down this one last murderer - the epitome of all evil - The Red Dragon.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi agent | madman | male bare butt | male full frontal nudity | male rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

How It All Began!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, grisly images, language, some nudity and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official page [Spain] UIP [Germany]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

4 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dragón rojo

Filming Locations:

4160 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$78,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,540,945, 6 October 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$93,149,898

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$209,196,298

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Brett Ratner's first choice for the role of Reba was Téa Leoni.

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Goofs

The first time we see the "Tooth Fairy"'s tattoos, the rear view clearly shows him to be naked. When he turns around, however, although he is figleafed by a towel, his jockey shorts are visible.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hannibal Lecter: Think to yourself that every day is your last. The hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise. As for me, when you want a good laugh, you will find me in fine state, fat and sleek, a true hog of Epicurus's herd.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to the village of Islamorada, Florada

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Connections

References Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

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Soundtracks

Ready Eddy
Written by Barney Bigard
Performed by Barney Bigard and His Orchestra
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Music
Under license from BMG Special Products

User Reviews

A Terrific Thriller!

On paper, it looked a bit uncertain. The long-awaited prequel to 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'Hannibal' was to be directed by Brett Ratner, most famous for the two 'Rush Hour' movies (1998, 2001).

However, the final result is pleasantly surprising. 'Red Dragon' opens with a wonderfully suspenseful prologue detailing the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter's (Anthony Hopkins) capture, and the unbearable tension rarely lets up for the remainder of the film.

Lecter's capturer, Will Graham (Edward Norton), is coaxed out of retirement by Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) to help track down a ruthless serial killer nicknamed the Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes), who is murdering seemingly-random families in their sleep. Graham believes that Lecter may hold the key to capturing this killer, and, in order to prevent any further murders, he must revisit his old demons.

The acting performances are first-rate. Hopkins is good (as always) as the cold, calculating serial killer Lecter. Norton handles a demanding role exceedingly well. Throughout his career, Fiennes has excelled at portraying loathsome villains (i.e. Amon Goeth in 'Schindler's List,' 1993), and here he turns in perhaps his greatest performance. The facially-disfigured, mentally-unstable Francis Dolarhyde is shown not to be an inherently evil killing machine, but an emotionally-troubled young man who is still battling the overwhelming demons of an abusive childhood.

Strong supporting performances from Emily Watson ('The Proposition,' 2005), Harvey Keitel ('Pulp Fiction,' 1994) and Philip Seymour Hoffman ('Capote,' 2005) round off a terrific thriller, and one for which widespread recognition is long overdue.