Kat's Film Reviews: Red Dragon

Monday, November 03, 2003

Red Dragon

My goodness, Brett Ratner is a little bundle of energy. If you don't think that from watching the film, you will from watching even a small part of the documentary. I knew he was a DVD freak (his collection is renowned), but I didn't know he was Quentin Tarantino-ish. It shows in this film -- you can just see him jumping up and down gleefully when he shoots Ed Norton from below as he's explaining why the eponymous serial killer will never stop. The "from below" shot is traditionally used for suspense, and is used by current film directors for any scene that should give the audience a shock. So, Ratner is at least following in the footsteps of greats. He's also smart enough to use a good screenwriter, who regrettably can't quite shake his original assignment, The Silence of the Lambs, so several ideas and scenes are re-hashed. Still, I think those who weren't fond of The Silence of the Lambs should forego this one. It's just as scary (although not as lyrical). Without the stellar cast, I'm not sure I would have chosen it to watch. Ed Norton (who is a bit flat, to be honest), Harvey Keitel, Mary-Louise Parker, Ph ilip Seymour Hoffman, and best of all Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson, as the killer and the victim. They seem out of place in a film like this, and they are, but they add those little touches of brilliance that make it worth watching.

year: 2002
length: 124 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289765/combined

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