Michael Mann's Manhunter

Manhunter is the first film based on Thomas Harris's novel Manhunter. It was readapted years later as Red Dragon with Ed Norton and Ralph Fiennes. But Manhunter is a much better film than Red Dreagon. Now i really like Red Dragon but Manhunter has Michael Mann behind the camera. Its got style, an awsome Tangerine Dream-esque music and some descent Rock music tracks. Manns nack for incorporating songs into his films really pays off in Manhunter. The end climax blares a very long version of Iron Butterfly's In A Gadda Da Vidda as Will Graham invades the Tiith Fairys secluded house.

Released in 1986 to generaly postive reviews, Manhunter was a huge flop and has since become a cult classic. It is the first film to featur Dr. Hannibal Lecter, or in the film 'Lecktor.' Played by Brian Cox, his take on Lecter is equally on par with Hopkins performance of the cannibal killer. Playing intelligent psycho sicko all at once.

William Petersen of CSI fame plays FBI profiler Bill Graham, the man responsible for capturing Lecktor and almost losing his life in the process. For this he has retired from the agency until his former boss calls him up and asks him to help capture a serial killer who murders whole families known as the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy is played by the imposing Tom Noonan. Noonans was also the main villian in Robocop 2, The Frankenstein Monster in The Monster Squad and numerous T.V. shows including C.S.I. with costar William Peterson. Noonans performance is chilling. He becomes the role and is a towering presence when on screen. He is a much better Frances Dolarhyde than Fiennes in Red Dragon, although Fiennes definatly brings it to his performance too. But Noonan has the outcast looks and mannerisms that make him a much more believable serial killer. Noonan is brilliant in his role and is seriously one of the major elements in this film that makes it such a cult gem.William Petersen for that matter is great as the FBI agent who has the ability to get inside 'minds' of the people he's profiling. From what ive heard and read Petersen found his role to be totaly exhausting and needed to change his look by shaving his beard and dying his hair once filming wrapped to distance himself for sanities sake. This is a must see film for Mann fans or Lecter fans for that matter.