Manhunter is a 1986 thriller film based on Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Directed by Michael Mann, it features Brian Cox as the popular character Hannibal Lecter (spelled "Lecktor" in the film, the only time in the series), and stars William Petersen, Joan Allen, Kim Greist, Dennis Farina and Tom Noonan. The cinematographer/director of photography was Dante Spinotti.

Petersen plays Will Graham, a former FBI agent who captured the infamous Lecter and was almost killed in the process; he is so traumatized by the event that he retires from the FBI. His former partner, Jack Crawford, calls him out of retirement to help find a killer called "The Tooth Fairy" who is murdering entire families. Graham is a profiler who has an uncanny ability to get into the mind of a killer and think as he does. Graham visits Lecter in prison in order to help get back in the state of mind necessary to empathize with a psychopath.

There is a subplot about the Tooth Fairy himself, a tortured soul named Francis Dollarhyde (Dolarhyde in the novel), played by Noonan in a critically acclaimed performance, falling in love with a blind coworker named Reba McClane, interfering with his killing spree.

The movie has a distinctive 1980s, "Miami Vice" feel to it – There is heavy emphasis on washed out pastels, the homes feature white minimalist decor, and the soundtrack features synthesizers as well as acoustic tracks. The director, Michael Mann, also produced the Miami Vice series. The song "Heartbeat," performed by Red 7, which plays over the closing credits, also features in an episode of Miami Vice.

Despite generally positive critical reviews the film was a box office failure. After The Silence of the Lambs (which was never approached by Orion as a sequel to Manhunter due to said box office failure) was released in 1991, it experienced something of a revival on video and later as a DVD release. In 2002, another adaptation of the book, titled Red Dragon, was released. It was more faithful to the novel but included more screen-time for Lecter's character, who only appears in a few scenes in the book. The remake was subjected to a mostly mixed critical response. Mann's original has been called the best of the Lecter series.

Whether Anthony Hopkins or Brian Cox is the better Hannibal Lecter is a topic of frequent and often passionate discussion on various internet forums.

Cast

William L. Petersen – Will Graham

Kim Greist – Molly Graham

Joan Allen – Reba McClane

Brian Cox – Dr. Hannibal Lecktor

Dennis Farina – Jack Crawford

Tom Noonan – Francis Dolarhyde

Stephen Lang – Freddy Lounds

David Seaman – Kevin Graham

Benjamin Hendrickson – Dr. Frederick Chilton

Michael Talbott – Geehan

Dan Butler – Jimmy Price

Michele Shay – Beverly Katz

Robin Moseley – Sarah

Paul Perri – Dr. Sidney Bloom

Patricia Charbonneau – Mrs. Sherman

Bill Cwikowski – Ralph Dandridge

Alex Neil – Eileen

Norman Snow – Springfield

Jim Zubiena – Spurgen

Frankie Faison – Lt. Fisk

Garcelle Beauvais – Young Woman Housebuyer

Joanne Camp – Mother on Plane

David Allen Brooks – Mr. Leeds

Elisabeth Ryall – Mrs. Leeds

Chris Elliott – Zeller

Gary Chavaras – Guard

Chris Cianciolo – Attendant

Ken Colquit – Husband Housebuyer

Ron Fitzgerald – Storage Guard #1

Dennis Quick – Storage Guard #2

David Meeks – Dr. Warfield

Sherman Michaels – Technician

Robin Trapp – Secretary #1

Lisa Winters – Secretary #2

Daniel T. Snow – State Trooper

Cynthia Chvatal – Airport Waitress

King White – Swat Man

Mickey Lloyd – Atlanta Detective

Dawn Carmen – Child on Plane

David Fitzsimmons – Bill

Robert A. Burton – Doctor

Steve Hogan – Helicopter Pilot

Mickey Pugh – Lear Jet Technician

Kin Shriner – Mr. Sherman

John Posey – Mr. Jacobi

Kristin Holby – Mrs. Jacobi

Greg Kelly – Jacobi Boy #1

Brian Kelly – Jacobi Boy #2

Ryan Langhorne – Jacobi Boy #3

Hannah Caggiano – Sherman Child #1

Lindsey Fonora – Sherman Child #2

Jason Frair – Leeds Child #1

Bryant Arrants – Leeds Child #2

Christopher Arrants – Leeds Child #3

Melvin Clark – SWAT Team Member

Renee Ayala – SWAT Team Member

Dana Dewey – SWAT Team Member

Stephen Hawkins – SWAT Team Member

Leonard Johnson – SWAT Team Member

Keith Pyles – SWAT Team Member

Michael Russell – SWAT Team Member

Michael Vitug – SWAT Team Member

Pat Williams – SWAT Team Member

Charles Yarbaugh – SWAT Team Member

Bill Smitrovich – Lloyd Bowman

Peter Maloney – Dr. Dominick Princi

Michael D. Roberts – The Runner

Marshall Bell – Atlanta Policeman

DVD availability

Manhunter has been available in various versions on DVD. Anchor Bay released a Limited Edition 2-DVD set in 2000 that featured an erroneously labelled "Theatrical Cut" (it actually omits some footage from the theatrical version and features some material from the "Director's Cut") and Mann's "Director's Cut" along with some nice retrospective featurettes. A standard edition was also released at the same time that only featured the "Theatrical Cut." In 2003, Anchor Bay went back to the well and released the "Restored Director's Cut" which is very close to the "Director's Cut" on the 2000 disc but omits one scene. It does, however, feature a commentary track by Mann. Finally, in 2004, MGM released a pan and scanned version of the movie that was the one seen in theaters.

Trivia

Frankie Faison is the only person to appear in all four Hannibal Lecter films, having played Lt. Fisk in Manhunter and Barney, the orderly, in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon.

When the film was first broadcast on TV, the title was changed to Red Dragon – The Pursuit of Hannibal Lecter. This was done to capitalize on the success of The Silence of the Lambs; however, this is misleading, since when Manhunter begins, Lecktor has already been captured and incarcerated.

The film was originally going to use the novel's title, Red Dragon. When Year of the Dragon  bombed at the box office, writer/director Michael Mann decided to change the title. Also, Mann was concerned that moviegoers would mistake this for another kung fu action movie, as many of those have the word Dragon prominently in their title (an example being the Bruce Lee film Enter The Dragon (1973)).

According to an interview with Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Mandy Patinkin, and Brian Dennehy were all considered for the role of Hannibal Lecktor before Cox himself was cast.

Many scenes were filmed in Atlanta. The asylum was actually that city's High Museum of Art.

Because William Petersen's role was so emotionally exhausting, he did everything he could to rid himself of Will Graham after principal photography wrapped. Petersen shaved off his beard, cut his hair and dyed it blonde.

Will Graham's home in Captiva, Florida is actually the home of artist Robert Rauschenberg.

In an interview, Cox said that he based his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter on Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel.

William Petersen and Dennis Farina currently have leading roles on the flagship television series (CSI – Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order, respectively) of competing U.S. television networks (CBS and NBC, respectively).

In a third season episode of CSI – Crime Scene Investigation, Tom Noonan played an illusionist pursued by forensic scientist Gil Grissom, who is played by William Petersen.

David Lynch was the first director attached to Manhunter, but he eventually left the project and was replaced by Mann. During this time, screenwriter Walon Green wrote a draft of the script, and though he is uncredited on the final film itself, many online resources list him as a co-writer.

In the Red Dragon novel, Francis Dolarhyde's last name is spelled with only one "l," but for some reason, Michael Mann added an extra one in the screenplay.

William Blake actually painted a series of four watercolors depicting the Great Red Dragon (his name for Satan), two of which depict the red dragon with a woman. One of these two is "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun" which shows the Great Red Dragon's back as he towers over a woman and this is the picture that so dominates Dolarhyde's mental state that he had it tattooed on his back in the novel. The other painting shows the great red dragon floating over a woman is "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun – The Devil Is Come Down", a similarly named but definitely different painting—yet this other painting is the one that is shown a few times in Manhunter.

In the novel, Will Graham's son is called Young Willy, but he is renamed Kevin for the movie, with no explanation that Graham is not his biological father.

After the film's completion, Dennis Farina, Bill Smitrovich and Stephen Lang joined the cast of the Michael Mann produced TV series Crime Story. That series also featured Ted Levine, who played serial killer Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.

The film was originally going to be entitled "Red Dragon", the same name as the novel. However, when Year of the Dragon  became a box office failure, Dino De Laurentiis decided to avoid a "dragon" title.

The prison where Hannibal Lecter is being incarcerated is the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Frankie Faison (Lt. Fisk) is the only actor to appear in all four adaptations as he appears as Barney in The Silence Of The Lambs , Hannibal and The Red Dragon.

During the filming of this movie, Anthony Hopkins was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. During the filming of The Silence of the Lambs Brian Cox was playing King Lear at the National Theatre.

In a featurette included with the DVD version of the film, Tom Noonan (Dollarhyde) said that he avoided all contact with cast members in order to heighten the isolation and tension between himself and other people, particularly William L. Petersen (Graham).

Tom Noonan (Dollarhyde) spent many hours in make-up so that artists could paint fake tattoos on his back and torso modeled after William Blake's "Great Red Dragon" paintings. Though Noonan appeared with the tattoos in publicity photographs (available in a Special Edition DVD), director Michael Mann concluded that the tattoos were too "over the top," and discarded the idea.

This is the only Hannibal movie where his last name is spelled Lecktor. In all future movies, it's spelled Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

According to an interview with Brian Cox, the following actors were considered for the role of Hannibal Lektor: Brian Dennehy, John Lithgow, and Mandy Patinkin.

Brian Cox said in the DVD interview that he based his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter on Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel.

In the shooting final confrontation between Dollarhyde and Graham, actor Tom Noonan had to lie in a pool of stage blood for several hours as the crew worked on other shots. After all this time, the stage blood dried into a thick, cement-like advesive that all but fused Noonan to the carpet.

Continuity Error: A large pool of blood disappears from around killer's body.

Continuity Error: Graham loosens his tie after running from the hospital, but it is soon done up again.

Continuity Error: Cans and boxes behind Graham and his son in the supermarket.

Continuity Error: A cigarette appears in Graham's mouth while on the street with Crawford.

Error: When Dr. Lektor has the operator make a phone call for him, he gives a Maryland area code (301) and gets a University of Chicago operator.

Error: In the final raid on the house, the elastic bungee cord used to propel a policeman is clearly visible against the ground.

Continuity Error: When Francis rips through the painting with a shotgun.

Continuity Error: White object (pen?) on the ground in front of National Tattler security guard in parking garage disappears in next shot.

Error: During Will Graham's conversation with Crawford at his home that starts the movie, there is a shot where Graham's chin is obviously moving, as he spoke some dialog, but no words are heard.

Continuity Error: After Graham tackles the jogger, his arms are shown holding a gun on the jogger's prone body as SWAT members race toward him. In the next scene, he pulls his pistol and points it toward the camera (the jogger's POV).

Error: When Dollarhyde is killed, as he is lying on the kitchen floor, he can be seen swallowing in the last second before the shot changes.

Error: Graham is told that the films of the families have been transferred to 1/2-inch VHS, but the tapes appear to be 3/4-inch.

Error: FBI man Will Graham attempts (sucessfully) to play a 3/4-inch video tape in a VHS machine.

Error: Wires for a squib charge visible on kitchen floor when Dollarhyde shoots at the glass bottles.

Continuity Error: Moonlight coming from different directions (as shown by shadows) when Dollarhyde is watching Reba go into her apartment building.

Continuity Error: Graham's house number changes during the film. When Dr. Bloom's secretary gives it to Lector, it's 3680. Later in the movie, when Crawford mentions it, it's 3860.

Error: As Graham walks through the woods toward the house in the final scene, the dolly tracks for the camera are visible on the ground.

Continuity Error: When the St. Louis police officer is throw into the windshield of his car, the glass is already damaged before his head hits it.

Error: In Lecktor's cell, the hinges are on the inside. Prison doors swing outward, so the prisoner can't compromise the hinges.

Error: When the St. Louis police pull up Dollarhyde's drivers license, it says he lives in "Chester, MO 64101". 64101 is a Kansas City, Missouri zip code, and Kansas City is 250 miles from St. Louis.

Error: There is a discussion of Graham's Charter Arms Bulldog .44 being loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs for added lethality. Glaser Safety Slugs are designed to fragment on impact and release their loads of tiny shot pellets into the wound cavity, creating massive bleeding and near-certain death. When Graham shoots Dolarhyde, each round is shown to penetrate Dolarhyde's body, spattering blood on the wall behind him. Glaser Safety Slugs would not penetrate a body this way. An exit wound would be very unlikely.

Error: Towards the end of the movie, just as Dollarhyde is throwing Graham into the refrigerator, a person can be seen in the lower, left-hand corner. He is wearing a blue shirt. The victim is wearing a pink shirt and is later shown as still being on the table.

Continuity Error: In Graham's interview for the National Tattler, the interviewer sets the tape recorder down on the table next to Graham. In the next shot it is in the interviewer's hand and he sets it down a second time.

Error: When Graham and Crawford argue over the videotapes and The Tooth Fairy, you can first see the boom pole, then the boom mic itself, both very clearly.

Continuity Error: In the end of the movie when Dollarhyde is firing the shotgun, he fires at least 10 rounds. Without a magazine extension, the most rounds he would be able to fire without reloading would be five.

Continuity Error: Merchandise behind Will Graham in grocery store during conversation with his son.

Error: When Will Graham hears the answering machine in the master bathroom of the Leeds murder scene, he walks out of the room. As he passes by, a crew-member's forearm is revealed.

Error: When the flaming Freddy Lounds comes down the parking ramp, the last few frames are the wheelchair hitting the Plexiglas wall through which they are filming the sequence.

USA cable network Showtime ran a "Director's Cut" of Manhunter that contained a different version of the ending. It was also a different edit of the film, and ran three minutes longer.

Anchor Bay Entertainment has released a special two-discs DVD edition with two versions of the film. On disc 1, there is a "version" of the Theatrical Edition, running at 121 minutes, in anamorphic 2.35:1 ratio, with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. On Disc 2, there is the "Director's Cut" edition of "Manhunter", running at 124 minutes. It, too, is in anamorphic 2.35:1, but only has a bog-standard Stereo soundtrack. The Director's Cut featured on the second disc of the Anchor Bay DVD features the following additional scenes:

After visiting the Leeds house in the beginning of the film, Will takes a pause in watching their home movies and calls his wife and talks to her for a while.

A scene with Graham and Dr Chilton just before Graham goes to see Lecter.

Additional dialog during Grahams meeting with Lecter concerning how Graham caught Lecter.

A scene with Graham telling Crawford that he is bringing his wife and son to town.

An alternate ending, in which Graham visits the family that would be next in line for Dollarhyde, but who are now safe, thanks to Graham.

Video versions there is an exchange between Graham and Crawford, missing from both Anchor Bay DVD versions: CRAWFORD: You sympathize with this guy? GRAHAM: As a child, my heart bleeds for him. Someone took a little boy and turned him into a monster. But as an adult... as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to fulfill some sick fantasy. As an adult, I think someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks.[Turns around in his chair to face Crawford.] Are you uncomfortable with this kind of understanding?[Crawford pivots to put his back against the wall.]" This exchange would take place in Anchor Bay's "Theatrical release" version at about Chapter 25, 1:36:35. Furthermore, the "Director's version" appears to be a near-finished work print, with sloppy titles, and some clumsy sped up and slow motion transitions (when Graham is talking to the Birmingham real estate agent, and when Dolarhyde kidnaps Reba). It also features a visit by Graham to the "next in line" victims after Reba's rescue, that was arguably best left on the cutting room floor.

The new Michael Mann approved "restored director's cut" DVD from Anchor Bay is missing the scene with Graham and Dr. Chilton before Graham goes to talk with Lecktor. In the scene Chilton explains a few rules about Lecktor, and then inquires about how Graham caught Lecktor through his thoughts. It is unknown whether or not director Mann intended for this scene to be left out, or if he couldn't find the film elements. This scene is in the original Anchor Bay director's cut on VHS tape and on the second disc of the Limited Edition set. The earlier director's cut appears to be from tape source elements which Mann put together.

As well as the line about Lecktor being called a psychopath missing from the conversation between Graham and the Police Chief, also missing is an important bit of info regarding Lecktor's history. When the Police Chief says 'He killed nine people didn't he', Graham answers with 'nine that we know of, two didn't die' and the Chief asks, 'What happened to them', then immediately says 'I heard he cut you pretty bad'. However, in the original theatrical version, Graham answers the question, explaining that one is an alcoholic, the other is on a respirator in Baltimore.

The original theatrical version is completely intact on the MGM Video Region 2, NTSC disc. It is available in Japan.

Also, the British theatrical, home video/DVD and TV versions, are different to the Theatrical Edition that Anchor Bay has released. Whilst the British versions run at approximately 111 minutes, and are uncut, one scene is missing, that have appeared in the Anchor Bay "Theatrical Edition". It is Chapter 15 (52m 22s to 54m 49s), Will and wife Molly, discuss their love for one another, the case, and their past.

VCD version by Panorma Entertaintment is cut to 115 minute

The DVD "theatrical release" version released by Anchor Bay is different from many actual theatrical versions. For example, crucially missing is a comment from Graham when he is at the police station early in the movie. The missing dialogue: Police Chief: "What did the doctors say is wrong with Lector?" Graham: "They call him a psychopath, they don't know what else to call him." It's possible to see a flaw in the film where the Police Chief is about to ask this question, and they cut the edit just as he begins to form the question. In their Director's cut edition, Graham gives this line while at the podium in the police station. Furthermore, the scene which leads into the backyard scene ("That's why houses with big yards"), where Graham talks to the real estate agent inside the house, was not included in the original theatrical release.