Review of Hannibal Rising (2007) by John M — 09 Jun 2009

It's time to learn what led Hannibal Lecter, once a gifted, bright young man, to a life of horrendous crime.

Fans of the book series will already be familiar with the story of Hannibal's younger sister, Mischa (and her eventual fate at the hands of Nazi soldiers), from Thomas Harris's 1999 novel "Hannibal".

Now it is time to learn the full story of Lecters troubled childhood, a result of growing up through the horrors World War 2.

I, for one loved Hannibal Rising, so much so that I returned to cinemas to watch the film for a second time merely a week after my first viewing. The film has also re-kindled my interest in Thomas Harris's wonderful series.

Stunning cinematography, emotional performances beautiful direction and all together great story telling help to make this film one of the best I have seen in a long time.

Gaspard Ulliel makes cannibalism hot and does a fantastic job at portraying a young Lecter. He is perfectly charming and polite on the outside, whilst on the inside his sadistic and vengeful nature continues to grow. Ulliel is highly engaging and convincing in his performance, doing the famous character justice.

Gong Li must also be mentioned at this point for her performance as the graceful Lady Murasaki who acts as both mentor and love interest for the young Hannibal. Li and Ulliel have a good chemistry throughout most of the film and both actors appear to have a great understanding of their characters.

I would highly recommend this movie to fans of the book series, however fans of the movie series might be disappointed if they are expecting to see another Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.