Live Life Team
‘Red Dragon’ is an interesting follow-up to the film “The Silence of the Lambs.” It is not a sequel, and yet not entirely a prequel. Dr. Lecter is the only recurring character, and he’s not the focus of the story. The movie does explain how Dr. Lecter was captured by Will Graham (Edward Norton), but after that, the story shifts to Red Dragon, Francis Dolarhyde (played by Ralph Fiennes).
Graham is asked to come out of retirement (his encounter with Lecter nearly killed him), and track down “The Tooth Fairy” killer. Of course, he does so, and then tries to get Lecter to help him. Instead, Lecter feeds information on Graham and his family to Francis!
One very unique aspect of the story is that it doesn’t just show Francis as a mindless killing machine or a monster like Lecter. He’s a quiet, shy man, and he actually goes on a date! You have to wonder, can the love of this woman make him change, Emily Watson, played by Reba McClane, is the blind woman who loves Francis and makes it clear that she wants a intimate relationship with him.
The one major weakness to the movie is the conclusion. They do the classic: “you think the killers dead, and then he pops up in your house” routine, but this is a minor criticism of what is a very scary movie. Also, Graham manages to trick Francis at the end through the use of an effective psychological tool: his knowledge of the abuse Francis suffered growing up. He uses brains over brawn: what a neat trick!
