The film I enjoyed the most this summer was Hannibal, the
2nd film in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy but the third in the chronology of the
storyline. The film follows disgraced FBI agent Clarice Starling as she tries
to track down cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, not only to
arrest him but also to protect him the hordes of corrupt cops out to kidnap him
on the orders of wealthy child molester Mason Verger, who wishes to feed Dr.
Lecter to his wild boar herd. The characters & plot are interesting as
there are lots of skewed morals to think about. I found the idea of a child
molester being able to control police (who are supposed to protect the world
from child molesters) because of money to be deliciously terrifying, especially
as it is still poignant today with the BBC's cover-up of the Savile Scandal
only recently being unearthed. The fact that Dr. Lecter can be seen as
something of a victim, hero & almost a love-interest in this installment is
very gratifying to a self-confessed Lecter fangirl & is also very
interesting from a more objective point of view. The role of Lecter as good-guy
(sort of) despite being a cannibalistic serial killer is a very interesting
move, especially as it highlights Lecter's own morals of only killing people
who he thinks deserve to be killed.
The emotion is relatable, the action & chase is
exciting, the humour is dark & the scenes of cannibalism are delightfully
disturbing. All of these factors add up to make a wonderful film.
I'm sure many households would not consider films about
cannibalism to be wholesome family viewing, but as my household consists of
just my mother & I (both avid horror fans since birth), the Hannibal Lecter
trilogy bridged the taste-gap between mother & daughter & enabled us to
settle down together & enjoy these wonderful films, making the experience
of watching them all the more wonderful.
I was a little privately disappointed that the film did not
end the same way as the book, which involved Clarice & Hannibal becoming a
couple & going on the run to Argentina together. Although the fangirl part of me was a little disappointed by this
not being the case, the logical part of me realised that this was probably for
the best as the ending in the film is more realistic with regards to the
character of Clarice. Clarice Starling is a straight-edged FBI agent who could
never realistically forsake her duties or acknowledge her love (if there is/was
any) for a cannibalistic serial killer. This gives the underlying 'love-story'
(if one could call it that) an extra layer of tragedy & realism which makes
the film even better.
There are many reasons why Hannibal was my favourite film
this summer. In summary, these reasons are: the exciting story & pace, the
wonderful chemistry between the superb lead actors, the gore -which is
effective without being gratuitous-, the underlying romantic 7 sexual tension
between the main characters & the good production values which all add up
to make a fantastic film from a series of fantastic films.
No comments:
Post a Comment