Brian Cox a better Lecter? - Manhunter

Richelieu

Am I wrong? I've been looking around for Manhunter from a couple of years ago and if i recall correctly it features Brain Cox as a slightly less showbiz, over the top maniac killer than Hopkins'. Maybe I'm wrong but year ago this appealed to me the more.
Coulda been I was drunk though...

Anyone seen it recently?

Karl Hungus

Saw it not so long ago, and Cox was definetly a lot more understated. I still loved Hopkins in Silence Of The Lambs, but in the later films, such as Hannibal and Red Dragon, he really took it too far.

missingtime

I remember a friend of mine saying that Manhunter was a better adaptation of the book than Red Dragon. I only saw Red Dragon the other day found it a bit predictable. But I enjoyed Hannibal - only the bits that Julianne Moore wasnt in it tho. She bugged me a bit.

well when you are comparing Hopkins and Cox, you are comparing them from the films Red Dragon and Manhunter.
In every facet manhunter is a superior film.

you could not say cox is better then hopkins in silence of the lambs because hopkins is brilliant in that, its just the character looses its effect after a few movies, becomes cliched and then begins to loose its realism.
the diminshing rate of marginal returns they call it in economics

The reason cox stands out so much is because manhunter is a great film and because he's brief and doesnt get 'played out'.
I would say cox fits into the puzzle of manhunter perfectly for what the film needed, and Hopkins actually brought SOTL up a notch with his performance

Pigman II

Yeah I think Hopkins did a 'Freddy Krueger' and turned what was a genuinely frightning character into a joke for generations to come.

For me anyway I don't think Cox ever really got the idea of Lecter across in Manhunter. If you weren't paying attention you could be forgiven for thinking he was just 'some guy' sitting in a jailcell. There was no menace about him, just a lot of brooding from what I can remember. I do also certainly think Manhunter (like nearly everything Michael Mann does) is overrated and that Tom Noonan as Dollarhyde(sp?) was the only good thing in it.

For me anyway I don't think Cox ever really got the idea of Lecter across in Manhunter.

If you weren't paying attention you could be forgiven for thinking he was just 'some guy' sitting in a jailcell. There was no menace about him, just a lot of brooding from what I can remember. I do also certainly think Manhunter (like nearly everything Michael Mann does) is overrated and that Tom Noonan as Dollarhyde(sp?) was the only good thing in it.

---

Michael Mann overrated?! are you basing that on Collateral alone? The Insider, is nothing short of superb, Heat is a very enjoyable flick, Thief excellent, last of the mohicans excellent. The only flick of his I dont rate is Ali.

Honestly if you dislike mann, you must be missing what he is trying to do. This guys films stand out mile for me, he has a shooting style all of his own and almost always gets superb performances out of his characters. crowe in the insider is one of the great performances of the last 10 years. The slickness with which he directed heat was masterful - the shootout scene in the street set a precendent in filmmaking. He even got a performance out of the one dimensional tom cruise that only oliver stone has really managed before.
charachter development, intriguing plots and stylish direction are his trademarks, and he does them well

Pigman II

Deleted User wrote:

Michael Mann overrated?! are you basing that on Collateral alone?

Ironically, I actually liked Collateral

It's Ali, The Insider, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans, Manhunter and Thief (all of which I've seen) that I wasn't impressed with. I'll say right now that of them were 'bad' films imho. I just found them all very uninvolving and dull to watch. Then again I've always been interested in 'situation' over 'character' so I guess he's just not my cup tea.

Pigman II

Pigman II wrote:

Ironically, I actually liked Collateral

It's Ali, The Insider, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans, Manhunter and Thief (all of which I've seen) that I wasn't impressed with. I'll say right now that of them were 'bad' films imho. I just found them all very uninvolving and dull to watch. Then again I've always been interested in 'situation' over 'character' so I guess he's just not my cup tea.

I'll give you some advice if you'll take it! which is something that gives me a lot of enjoyment from films.

You really must get involved with the characters in films - try and relate to them in some way, feel what they are feeling. This is what gives you the emotional response, because you are feeling the same feelings.

Example Russell Crowe in the insider - the guy is under incredible pressure with his wife and kids leaving him, death threats etc from tobacco company, he still pursues the greater good at the highest personal price. The film builds through this pressure culminating in the decision he makes to go to court.

I went through those emotions with Crowe watching that film, and thats why it made the film so good. A mix of him being a superb actor along with Mann providing the stage.
Its exactly like music. Classical composers wrote symphonies based on torrid nights etc, blues artist write about what bugs them, heavy metal bands write a lot of aggressive stuff. Its all about the emotion they are putting out there.
So if you dont pay much attention to the character side of things and the emotions they are portraying, beleive me you are missing out on another world. This is what film is about essentially

J.R.HARTLEY

how could you not like michael mann, the mann that inflicted miami vice on us and warped an entire generation of young mens fashion sense