Manhunter ★★★, Silence of the Lambs ★★★★★, Hannibal ★★★★
This series of the Hannibal Lecter story was filmed first with the highly successful Silence of the Lambs, followed by Hannibal, and then Manhunter. All are very suspenseful films. Silence of the Lambs has the best acting and best script. Hannibal is superb for the continued presence of Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Lecter, though Clarise Starling is much better acted by Jodie Foster than Julianne Moore, whose personality fit the part much better. These films represent a psychopathic psychiatrist (aren’t they all????) Dr. Hannibal Lecter who has taken enjoyment in cannibalism. He also suffers from the brilliance of understanding the nature of his own illness all too well, as well the ability to continually elude the police. This allows for the potential of many more sequels. Lecter has been able to breed a number of other psychopaths who delight in the abduction of younger girls and using their body parts for various means to gain their jollies. The graphic imagery is superbly filmed, especially such scenes as Hannibal removing someone’s calvarium with them still awake, and then feeding them their own brains sautéed in a most French fashion. These movies are fairly gory, and not for the faint-hearted, though all were fairly well done. Watch them, but not with children.