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Just finished reading Red Dragon again recently and it got me to thinking about the various screen versions of Hannibal Lecter. I’ve not seen the series with Mads Mikkelsen, although I imagine his take will be great, so my only experience is the films.
For me Brian Cox is by far the scarier version of the character. He plays the part so well and you can imagine him getting away with the crimes for years. On the surface he just seems so normal and affable.
Anthony Hopkins take is an outstanding piece of acting, but just OTT. He comes across as a bit of a pantomime villain and would’ve been caught before committing any crimes. Carry on Cannibal is the way I view him.
Gaspard Ulliel was terrible and more akin to a character from a slasher film.
I would’ve loved to have seen Cox play him in Silence of the Lambs. A chilling performance in Manhunter, very realistic and for me that made him frightening.
Who’s your favourite and why?
I preferred Manhunter. I think it's a far superior film with a great cast.
Brian Cox.
The Anthony Hopkins take on Lecter is just wrong IMO. Could you imagine the refined and elegant Hannibal of the books doing that slurping sound at the end of this?
And yes I thought Mads Mikkelsen was pretty darn good.
Mads Mikkelsen is brilliant as Lecter, I highly recommend Hannibal, just pretend season 3 doesn't exist and its great.
Mads +1
What Rich said, seasons 1 and 2 were brilliant, season 3 was absurd nonsense.
Might have to give the series a go. Loved Brian Cox performance and thought it matched the character in the books.
Priti Patel, I think.
I did not even know there were other versions.
Hopkins in Ridley Scott's Hannibal. The pantomimesque qualities of his performance match the tone of the (IMO underrated) film really well.
As an aside, in hindsight it probably wasn't the ideal film choice for a first cinema date that me and Zoe went on... Especially when I was the only person in the cinema to laugh out loud at the brain eating scene. Still together after 20 years though, so I didn't completely blow it...
Mads was the best. Effortlessly refined and terrifying.
Shame the show didn't get its concluding season, but, seasons 1 & 2 were brilliant TV.
Brian Cox for me. It's the banality of evil that's scary not scenery chewing cartoon cackling and slurping sounds. Although Hopkins version is entertaining. Not seen the TV show will have to check it out
Tom noonan as Francis dolarhyde is the definitive version as well
Manhunter is very serial killer /Miami vice crossover cos of the director. And great cos of it. Full of great scenes:
While we’re on the subject of Hannibal lecter, is there a term for those moments when the mads mikkelsen version makes an observation and sums up the situation in a sentence?
“Time, so fleeting, yet grounded in our destiny”, that kind of thing.
I’m sure the term for this sounds like ‘aporophism’.
Back to topic, I never thought that Anthony Hopkins was that convincing.
I haven’t seen the Brian cox version, so it’s mads for the gong😉
Brian Cox for me. It’s the banality of evil that’s scary not scenery chewing cartoon cackling and slurping sounds.
This is exactly what does it for me. It’s the normalcy that makes him unnerving. I believe he based his performance on a Scottish serial killer,