Honestly, having watched both last weekend, Manhunter again and Red Dragon for the first time, I prefer Red Dragon. Manhunter in spots tries too hard to be an 80s cop movie... One other thing that my sister's ex husband pointed out when we discussed the movies as I watched them: the difference between Lector in Manhunter vs. Lector in Red Dragon is that in Manhunter he comes off as petulent, surly, defeated and angry for it. In Red Dragon, it becomes much clearer that he knows from the get go that he's getting away eventually; this is only temporary. I like that.
Then again, William Peterson is a far superior Will Graham, and whoever plays the skeezy reporter in Manhunter is also much better than Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the role (who comes off as really insecure, mubly, and unconfident).
Manhunter is an 80s cop movie. It was made in 1986. It can't help that. Hopkins is way too much playing up to the Lecter mythos in Red Dragon, and they dole him out whenever the movie gets boring like money shots in a porno. Red Dragon is a pretty good example of how Brett Ratner can be handed a good story from a proven franchise, be given a ridiculous cast (Edward Norton is not a worse actor than William Peterson), and then make a movie that doesn't even have enough soul or interest to be a real fiasco, just a mediocrity.
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One other thing that my sister's ex husband pointed out when we discussed the movies as I watched them: the difference between Lector in Manhunter vs. Lector in Red Dragon is that in Manhunter he comes off as petulent, surly, defeated and angry for it. In Red Dragon, it becomes much clearer that he knows from the get go that he's getting away eventually; this is only temporary. I like that.
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