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"HANNIBAL RISING" (R)
"Hannibal Rising" is not
even good for a DVD rental
By Clayton Davis
The intolerable and at times deadly
Hannibal Rising is a complete bore fest. Peter Webber, director of Girl
with a Pearl Earring takes a bite (no pun intended) into one of the most
villainous and ferocious masterminds of contemporary cinema, Hannibal
Lecter.
The film is a prequel to Oscar winner, The Silence of the Lambs and the
unknown Manhunter which is also a prequel to the Oscar winner. During
the past 20 years, this viewer has seen two interpretations of Dr.
Hannibal Lecter; one played by Brian Cox and the other, which is
obviously the more popular one played by Academy Award winner Anthony
Hopkins. Nothing compares to the atrocity played here by Gaspard Ulliel
known for his lukewarm portrayal as the vanished soldier in A Very Long
Engagement.
The film starts with Young Hannibal in his formative years during World
War II and his transformation, if that’s even the word, into a brutal
serial cannibal killer. The film can never gain any traction to engulf
the viewer and has no “meat” to satisfy any cinema hunger. The film
flips in and out of two time periods and loses all chance of a decent
picture. The screenplay by Thomas Harris who wrote the Hannibal Lecter
series loses all vision of his character and turns him into a winy and
pugnacious young boy. He includes the most horrible love story which has
no way of enchanting any couple and includes a few chase scenes and
terrible stipulation of who and what Hannibal Lecter truly is.
Ulliel cannot grasp the character rather attempts a Anthony Hopkins
impression and seemingly fails on many levels to bring a new Hannibal to
life. Gong Li known for her stunning and Oscar snubbed portrayal of
“Hatsumomo” in Memoirs of a Geisha gets brought into a world where she
should of burned the script at first glance. The only entertaining
aspect of the film is some pretty decent cinematography by Ben Davis and
an above average performance by Dominic West who breathes some fresh air
from time to time but we’re still left suffocating.
A rental for a Thursday night might be in order if you have nothing to
do and have postponed your suicide for the weekend. Other than that,
leave the film on the shelf and try playing some “Pictionary” or a nice
game of “Kerplunk”; Hannibal Rising rises no where.
1/2/**** |
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