Manhunter (1986) review

This is a cool, overlooked 80's gem from stylish director Michael Mann. I didn't expect to like this film very much because I had seen it a while back and was underwhelmed with it but I have a new appreciation for it this time.

"Manhunter" is the prequel to "Silence of the Lambs" and has been far overshadowed by the latter film. Another actor, Brian Cox, plays Dr. Lector in this movie and I remember hating the portrayal because it's jarringly different from Anthony Hopkins. It's a more subdued, less menacing Lector and rewatching it I like his performance, especially the scene where he tricks a secretary into giving him Will Graham's (played by William Petersen) address. Anthony Hopkins did an outstanding job as Lector but if I saw him in public I would automatically label him a creep - Brian Cox gives the appearance of being somewhat normal and less psychotic, therefore more likely to gain a strangers trust.

Then there's Tom Noonan's performance as "The Tooth Fairy", a voyeuristic serial killer who preys on families. His character is chilling and reminds me of a silent movie monster. He's very tall, has spindly hands, he lurches around and lurks in shadows.

The protagonist is William Peterson's Will Graham, a man haunted by memories of being attacked by and being drawn into the mind of Lector. Will walks a tight rope of trying to understand evil, sadistic men like Lector and "The Tooth Fairy" and not being sucked into their undertow and losing his soul in the process. Michael Mann loves characters like Will who want to do the right thing even if it means sacrificing everything. He's good at showing how "the bad guys" aren't completely different from us. The scenes where "The Tooth Fairy" is having a dalliance with Joan Allen are some of the best in the movie.

I love how the film focuses on using forensic science, which I don't think had been done in a film before, to locate "The Tooth Fairy" instead of just typical police detective procedures. The cinematography and set design is superb too. I love Mann's trademarks of tinted cool blue scenes, glass bricks, pastels, art deco and overemphasized use of music - he produced "Miami Vice" and that definitely influenced the chic look and glossy feel of this film.

The only thing I didn't like about the film was the ending, which I found somewhat weak. Will jumping through a window to fight "The Tooth Fairy" (he's 6' 7"!) was absurd. The shoot out was a little too cliched and indulgently stylish for my liking as well. It was 1986 and created in an era of MTV music videos and cultural excess so it's forgivable.