Starring Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldmna, Ray Liotta, Giancarlo Giannini, Francesca Neri, Frankie Faison. Written by David Mamet and Steven Zaillian. Directed by Ridley Scott. Clarice Starling (Moore) has worked her way up the ladder at the F.B.I., but has gotten herself into hot water when a sting against a female drugpin goes wrong, where a gun battle in a crowded market left the drugpin (carrying her baby) and four others dead including a law enforcement officer. With the ensuing press coverage, a Justice Deparment politico Paul Krendler (Liotta) is called in and soon Clarice is called in for a grilling and an opportunity to take the fall. Instead, the only living victim of Hannibal Lector, the very rich and influential Mason Verger (Oldman), exerts his influence to put Clarice back on the trail of Lector, gets Hannibal reinstalled into the F.B.I.'s Ten Most Wanted list. Soon, Clarice discovers she has only been rescued by Verger as a means of luring Lector out so he can exact some revenge. Hannibal has retired to the old-world splendour of Florence, Italy, working as a library curator, sipping wine in cafes and enjoying some of the finer things in life. A local cop (Giannini) discovers the kindly academic is a wanted serial killer, and decides to pursue him to get the huge F.B.I. award to satisfy the lavish lifestyle his beautiful young wife desires. Clarice warns him against trying to handle Lector himself. Verger and Krendler continue to pursue there own agendas. And Lector comes out of retirement. The problem with this film is that, first, it is difficult to compete with the intelligent, well-written predecessor Silence Of The Lambs. Secondly, there has been an avalanche of films and TV shows, from Seven to Kiss The Girls, from the X-Files to Millenium, that have all dealt with serial killers and the F.B.I., often with murderers with a depravity exceeding even Lector's, such that the topic is hardly fresh any more. In some instances the film felt like an episode of the X-Files, and several times watching Clarice it felt like I was watching Scully being banished to the basement and being hauled over the carpet by her (always male) superiors for doing some politically insensitive thing that their beaurocratic minds couldn't understand. The story moves along reasonably well, but is not as suspenseful or intriguing as the first. The interplay between Lector and Clarice, one of the most interesting elements in the Silence Of The Lambs is almost non-existent. In the film's favour, the film is gorgeous and beautifully made. Florence looks magnificent, as does rural Virginia and Washington. Based on the reportedly gory novel Hannibal by Thomas Harris (which I have not read), the overall depravity of the book and the book's ending and significant changes in character of Clarice convinced Jodie Foster not to reprise her role. Oinker-producer Dino DeLaurentis has recently weighed in that he was glad that Jodie Foster was not in the film - she was asking for too much money, because after all, the book is named Hannibal, not Clarice. It is certainly much more gory. But in many ways this film is about Clarice, her life choices and how the notoriety of the Lector case ten years before had changed her and her job. One of the most interesting facets of the film might be that raised by Lector in suggesting Clarice has given up the chance for a husband and children for her "love" the F.B.I. The boys club resented her being there and the fame she gained from the original Lector case, and she resented their lack of respect for her. The Silence Of The Lambs presented a subtle feminist message showing the organisation, while not always overtly discriminatory, never wanted her there and did not support her. In Hannibal, the discrimination is far less subtle. Krendler is an obvious pig and political climber - barely a two-dimensional character. Berger is nuttier and slimier than Hannibal. The Italian cop is greedy, wanting the multi-million dollar reward for himself. The effect is that the audience is manipulated into sympathizing with not only Clarice but Hannibal too. It is reasonable for Agent Starling, but Hannibal is an unrepentent monster, albeit a classy and intelligent one. His campaign to reduce rudeness and avarice in the world may have merit but eating the face off various people and gutting several others may be considered a tad rude itself. And one question I have - where does Lector get all his money to buy expensive clothes, extravagant food and fly whenever he feels like it? The film is elevated by a strong cast. Moore is an excellent replacement as Clarice, adopting Foster's subtle southern drawl, to the point I was losing the ability to remember Foster as the plucky, principled agent. Oldman, underneath a ton of disfiguring makeup, is unrecognizable as the very rich but very angry victim bent on revenge. Hopkins is again very good as the suave and brilliant ex-doctor. Liotta's character is so weakly written he is not much of a plus and his characters deserves his brainless fate. You'll probably go to Hannibal because you loved the original or the book and are curious, and the film does have its merits. And if this was the first film, it would probably be seen quite positively, but it probably would have better to have let the good doctor stay retired. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page