Ok ! Let's be clear on something: the screenplay of RED DRAGON is excellent and brilliant. But, and that's where the problem is, it doesn't mean you have a good film at the end. When i go see an adaptation i like to be suprise by the vision of the director. I was amaze by THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and satisfy with the gruesome HANNIBAL (the book wasn't that great either). But RED DRAGON was a very very good book and a tought the film will live up to it. But it didn't. And who's to blame ? Brett Ratner. His directing is a lazzy one. There is no atmosphere, there is no real fear and mostly, there is no vision. Only a by-the-book-movie very predictable film with actors not giving there best performance (Hopkins is a caricature of himself, Norton is suprisingly very ordinairy, Keitel play the only character he knows, himself) except for Fiennes and Watson who are terrific.
So a the end, what do we have ? A good popcorn flick but we are a long way from the masterpiece of Jonathan Demme. Please, read the book again, it will be better !
So a the end, what do we have ? A good popcorn flick but we are a long way from the masterpiece of Jonathan Demme. Please, read the book again, it will be better !