An Unsatisfying Meal

Hannibal Dir: Ridley Scott Starring Anthony Hopkins Julianne Moore Ray Liotta Gary Oldman 2001 R, 147 m RATING: 5 out of 10

A BITE TO EAT:  Julianne Moore takes on the role of Clarice Starling pitted against the manipulative, suave Dr. Lecter in this sub-par sequel.

With the exception of only a handful of films, sequels are destined to be lesser counterparts to the original.  Hannibal falls into that trap, and though Ridley Scott's dynamite, razor-sharp direction of Gladiator helped propel that movie to critical and box-office success, he seems to be going through the motions in Hannibal. Hannibal brings back the psychotic yet intellectual creation that is Anthony Hopkin's Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who has been reclusive in Europe since his escape in 1991.  He re-emerges when Agent Clarice Starling becomes victim of a smear campaign (led by Ray Liotta) against her questionable actions during a routine FBI sting.  While Julianne Moore tackles the role of Starling with such skill that the pall of Jodie Foster never befalls her, Anthony Hopkins' role seems severely underwritten.  He's the title character, yet we spend more than half the time focused on subplots involving far less intriguing characters, including an Italian detective and a vengeful victim, played by an almost unrecognizable Gary Oldman.  And as much as I hate to admit it, Ray Liotta seems to be losing more and more the chance to redeem himself with every dislikable, cardboard role he plays. Hannibal is, at best, a plodding, redundant, and poorly written movie that bears little to no resemblance to the stylish, dark, and intelligent thriller Silence of the Lambs (besides the characters).  It's thoroughly uneven and plays more like a big-budget slasher flick than a grisly, engrossing thriller.  And while Scott's use of shaky cinematography may have worked well in bloody, medieval battles, this visual style is distracting here.  I mean, can't we actually see a battle between Hopkins and co. instead of a camera jittering above their struggle?  Stick to the original, where hearing Dr. Lecter make sucking sounds for two seconds is much more enjoyable than this misifire.

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