By Dan Hudak
Rise Hannibal
Lecter, rise and frighten us all once again.
Hannibal Rising
offers the rare opportunity to see how one of the greatest villains
in film history became so devastatingly wicked. As such it makes for
a pretty entertaining movie, with solid performances, a smart story
and a mood that constantly suggests something awful is just around
the corner. Most of the time, something is.
Hannibal Lecter’s
story begins during World War II in Lithuania, where his parents
were forced from their castle and killed as they tried to take
refuge in a nearby cabin. Young Hannibal witnessed their deaths, and
knows that his sister Mischa (Helena Lia Tachovska) was murdered
then eaten by starving soldiers.
Jump forward eight
years and we find the teenage Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel, heretofore
unknown to U.S. audiences) living in an orphanage that happens to be
in the same castle he once called home. After escaping he makes his
way to France to find Lady Murasaki (Gong Li), his aunt and the lone
surviving member of his family. She teaches him to use a sword and
helps him get in touch with his memories of Mischa, which continue
to haunt him. Before long Hannibal has become a murderer, played
mind games with the inspector (Dominic West) assigned to the case,
gone to medical school in Paris, and started to track down the
soldiers led by Vladis Grutas (Rhys Ifans) who killed and
cannibalized his sister.
Hannibal Rising
is the third Hannibal Lecter film since The Silence of the Lambs
(1991), and is a better movie than the grisly Hannibal (2001)
and the solid Red Dragon (2002). With Rising,
first-time screenwriter Thomas Harris (who wrote all of the novels
on which the movies are based) seems less concerned with bloodlust
than he is with what prompted Hannibal to become who he is, though
the two clearly go hand in hand. (For those who are squeamish, much
of the violence here is suggested rather than depicted.)
Interestingly,
explaining Hannibal’s motivation as revenge does a disservice to the
stories that chronologically come later. Harris and director Peter
Webber provide little reason for Hannibal to continue murdering
after the score is settled. The idea of cannibalism being a part of
his psyche is here but not successfully conveyed, which is a flaw
when viewing the movie as part of a greater whole.
This is not,
however, the fault of newcomer Gaspard Ulliel, who admirably
captures the steely eyes and menacing demeanor that helped Anthony
Hopkins win an Oscar for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The
Silence of the Lambs. More than that, though, Ulliel taps into
Hannibal’s humanity: We feel for him even though we don’t condone
his actions, and there is some sense of acceptance in seeing him
kill the people who’ve wronged him so terribly. Making a character
this famous seem human and monstrous is no easy task, but Ulliel
succeeds.
Prequels often have
a way of feeling like one long trailer for a story we already know
comes later, but Hannibal Rising finds depth and purpose in
the beginnings of the infamous Hannibal Lecter. If the mere thought
of him has ever made you quiver with fear, this is a movie you’ll
want to see.
Comments? E-mail
dhudak22@yahoo.com.
Hannibal Rising ***
Directed by Peter Webber. Written by Thomas Harris. Starring Gaspard
Ulliel, Rhys Ifans, Gong Li, Helena Lia Tachovska. Rated R.
Also opening in Miami-Dade County this Friday: Norbit
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A genuine
must-see: * * * *
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Entertaining: *
* *
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Mediocre but
not worthless: * * *
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A wretched
waste of time: *
