Delayed Reaction: Red Dragon

The Pitch: Hannibal just made over $100 million and was a mess. Let's have another go at Manhunter and see how much more we can milk out of Thomas Harris' books.

What Took Me So Long: I wasn't in any hurry until the Hannibal TV series renewed my interest in the material.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I know all about Hannibal Lector by now and Hugh Dancy now has me curious about Will Graham. Ed Norton is good here, in a much saner version of the character. Ralph Fiennes does the creepy, tortured murderer thing with the best of them. Emily Watson is pretty heartbreaking as the blind love interest of Fiennes. No surprise here that Philip Seymour Hoffman knocks a small part out of the park. That was his specialty.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This went for 'thriller' more than 'psychological' (i.e. it was more Hannibal and less Silence of the Lambs). There wasn't much internal conflict with the Will Graham character, which I've come to expect from him. In the end, it's a solid movie, not a scary one.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend