Hannibal (2001)

With a new director and Clarice Starling, I was plenty worried the film would fall well short of the book. I stopped worrying shortly after pressing play. Ridley Scott, in his follow-up to Gladiator, does a magnificant job directing. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal is flawless. Julianne Moore pays tribute to Jodi Foster in her portrayal of Starling. Gary Oldman is creepy as hell as the sick victim who seeks revenge for his disfigurement. Great casting all around.

There were some minor and major points that I noticed were left out of the film. I realize this is normal and necessary when converting a book to a movie, and they really didn't bother me as much as they have in other films. The biggest disappointment for me was the ending. I was hoping in vain they would stay true to the book. Instead, they completely wrote a new ending. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't even close to the fantastic, albeit daring, original version. Enjoy the movie, then go read Thomas Harris' book if you already haven't. It's marvelous.

Rating: B