By Stephen Pytak 

     The first adaptation of this Thomas Harris story, 
"Manhunter (1986)," was an intense beast. 
     But this new "Red Dragon" likes to smile once in 
a while. 
     While it's intense in all the right places, Brett 
Ratner's film is accented with much more humor, 
thanks in part to Anthony Hopkins.
     This is his third go around as "Hannibal Lecter." 
His first, as we know, earned him the Academy 
Award for Best Actor.  And his performance here 
might encourage a fourth.
     In short, the guy is just plain interesting to watch. 
One minute he'll shock you with a sudden step 
forward and a knife in the abdomen. The next, he'll 
raise a glass to you and encourage a smile.
     Anyone who's seen "Manhunter" or read Harris' 
book knows the plot and the general dialog, but you 
keep watching curiously because you're never sure 
how Hopkins is going to serve it to you.
     The scene where he receives the gourmet dinner 
in his cell is priceless.
     Overall, Brett Ratner and company do a pretty 
decent job.
     This time out, we can see the Red Dragon's 
stripes and fangs. But all this and signs and symbols 
are nothing if the tiger, or the Dragon, can't roar. 
Thankfully, Ralph Fiennes threw himself into the 
role of "Francis Dolarhyde." 
     "Dolarhyde" is a psycho killer bent on becoming 
some kind of dragon god. He pumps weights and 
shotguns, stalks happy families, keeps a crazy diary 
and admires great art. He'll even tattoo some of it on 
his body.
     Fiennes pushes the character as far as he can, 
injecting intensity wherever possible.  In particular, 
he shows us there's a struggle going on inside him. 
There's part of him that doesn't want to turn into this 
monster. But the obsession is too strong. And one of 
the best scenes in the film is when he works his way 
into an art gallery archive and chows down a 200 
year old painting. Now that's entertainment. 
     Edward Norton brings some new life to the 
character of "FBI Agent Will Graham."
     "Graham" is an agent with a gift for creative 
crime solving. It led him to capture "Lecter," but also 
led him to suffer some psychological damage.
     Norton's best scenes are in the beginning. When 
he knocks on Hannibal's door and sits down for a 
chat, he looks and acts like a student. He opens up. 
It shows he saw Hannibal Lecter as a teacher. And, 
to some degree, he trusted him.
     But Norton doesn't convince me at all that his 
character suffered any permanent damage from his 
bouts with the good doctor.
     The character is supposed to be walking the line 
of sanity. Norton's "Graham" is a rock.  Sure, he 
may sweat like hell after a chat with his old friend 
Hannibal, but he's no where near the deep end of 
the pool. 
     The ending holds a few surprises as well, so fans 
of "Manhunter" shouldn't walk out until the credits 
roll. 
     One thing this new version of "Red Dragon" gives 
fans of these films is something to talk about. 
Comparing Rather's film to Michael Mann's will keep 
them busy for hours.