Dr. Hannibal Lecter: Anthony Hopkins	Clarice Starling: Julianne Moore
Rinaldo Pazzi: Giancarlo Giannini	Laura Pazzi: Francesca Neri
Barney: Frankie Faison	Cornell: Zeljko Ivanek
Agent Mendez: Boyd Kestner	Director: Ridley Scott
Mason Vernor: Gary Oldman	Agent Krendler: Ray Liotta
Evelda: Hazelle Goodman

30 Second Bottom Line: A criminally insane medical doctor who escaped from prison ten years ago reappears to haunt the top brass at the FBI as well as the one agent he developed a "relationship" with. At that time she was a rookie who consistently rubbed FBI management the wrong way.

Story Line: Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) has reappeared in Italy as a museum curator after escaping from the US. Living in Florence matches his love of the arts, opera and fine dining (not always of humans…chuckle chuckle smile on purpose). One of his victims, and the only one that survived was Mason Vernor (Gary Oldman) who had his face eaten by dogs while being a "cooperating" patient because of hallucinatory drugs given him by Lecter, who was his medical psychiatrist. Mason and Hannibal are evil types that deserve one another. Agent Krendler (Ray Liotta) is Clarice's immediate manager at the FBI who sees him for the wimp he is and suspects that Mason has bribed him. Whatever the FBI knows about Lecter, so does Mason through Krendler.

Barney (Frankie Faison) provides insight to the research done by Clarice to track down Lecter by following his personal habits. In Italy, police officer Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini) and his wife Laura (Francesca Neri) have a close and erotic relationship with Lecter. At the opera, Lecter is sophisticated to the point of impressing Laura that you could envision a sexual relationship between them if Rinaldo was no longer in the picture. Pazzi wants to get a back door reward for turning Lecter in which as an officer of the law technically disqualifies him.

As Mason chases Lecter, he finally leaves Italy and returns to the USA to reunite with Clarice. When Lecter, Clarice and Mason converge into the same physical space, something has to give, which means people are going to die.

Tell Me More About It: I really loved Hannibal but it could have been better…a lot better. Director Ridley Scott has made a very good-looking picture much as he did with Gladiators sans some of the hooky digital effects. As in The Green Mile, Hannibal catches the essence of the book. I find it somewhat of a puzzle however that in the former which has supernatural aspects that the movie does a more complete job of capturing the complexity of the characters essence than does the latter which is mostly not so difficult special effects. With Hannibal, it's lack of fear in your mind about dealing with an evil force that is missing. It's slick but only skin deep.

Mason Vernor and Clarice are the two characters in which the film captures the essence of their nature. With Mason, he is so set on revenge that he's more deviant than Hannibal the cannibal. Clarice is what one would expect of an FBI agent who has been dissed more than Puffy Combs or Snoop Doggy Dogg. From her role as the somewhat naïve agent just out of school in Silence of the Lambs, she is now a dedicated but jaded person who is primed to turn into something that she was not in the Lambs.

The weakest part of Hannibal is the ending, as Clarice does not evolve as much as we think she may or know she is capable of. Then there is the grandstanding of things like Lecter in Italy making a big production of ensuring that there are no fingerprints on his wine class before he leaves a restaurant. Add that to the fact that he has been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for a decade who walks around in the public with his only concern being his fingerprints. It detracts from the drama. This was avoided in the book because Lecter had plastic surgery. I don't think it would have been much of a stretch to have him wear a mask like in Mission Impossible. It might have been cool to have him take the mask off toward the end to show his "true evil self". Or they should have skipped him being on such as visible wanted list. Haven't they heard of the TV show America's Most Wanted?!

You kind of figure that Lecter will get away once again so there can be another sequel. Escapes need to be credible if they are to create drama and this did not. We see cars approaching with helicopter support and at the snap of your finger, a magically unrealistic escape occurs that is in contrast to the gritty reality of the film. Everything concluded with too much neatness.

Still, I loved Julianne Moore as she had a dark demeanor that one would have after being mistreated and hassled by her peers and superiors for so many years. Making comparisons between her and Jodi Foster in Lambs is unfair because the roles are so different. Both are wonderful. Moore for the most part has played quirky roles in smaller more independent films like Magnolia, A Map of the World and Boogie Nights. This should get her into the prime time light that she deserves. However, I'm counting on her to keep making those great indie type films.

Ridley needs to take a lesson from Steven Soderberg on finishing touches to his otherwise very good films. While Gladiator may get an academy award nomination(s), most critics' thinks that while the film is very good, it's not Oscar caliber. Yet when you take a look at Erin Brokovich and Traffic, we see what Don Conelius of Soul Train use to say about the kids who could really jam on the dance floor…don't forget to finish strong. Nuff said.

Anthony Hopkins: The Silence of the Lambs	Julianne Moore: The Ladies Man
Giancarlo Giannini: Ciao America	Francesca Neri: I Love Andrea
Frankie Faison: Where The Money Is	Zeljko Ivanek: Dancer in the Dark
Boyd Kestner: The General's Daughter	Ridley Scott: Gladiator
Gary Oldman: The Contender	Ray Liotta: Copland
Hazelle Goodman: Homicide: Life on the St (TV)