HANNIBAL escaped from its 1999 source novel into theaters in 2001 as the sequel to 1991’s instant classic The Silence Of The Lambs. That smash drew universal praise, took ‘The Big Five’ at the Academy Awards and was the year’s 4th biggest hit. Ten years on, Anthony Hopkins was back as the title fiend, with Julianne Moore replacing Jodie Foster as FBI heroine ‘Clarice Starling’. No awards came this time, and critical reaction was split between muted cheers and revolted jeers, but the blood-smelling masses turned out for a lavish dose of Grand Guignol grue: worldwide it ranked #10 at the ticket troughs. Reaping in North American fields turned $165,092,000, foreign harvests yielded $186,600,000. More chops were licked in TV dens with $87,000,000 in video rentals. And cultured Dr. Lecter is the sick one?

“When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a-runnin’… but not to help.”

When we last left brilliant serial killer/practicing cannibal Lecter (Hopkins,62) he had bolted custody and was preparing for dinner with (er…on) a smug psychiatrist who’d offended his refined tastes. During the decade in which he was at large (and dining out) his favorite police playmate, FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling (Moore, 40) has continued with the Bureau. But she’s been wrongly blamed for a drug bust gone lethal and is walking a career tightrope. Her knowledge of and relationship with Lecter get her put on his trail, an assignment which fits with the grotesque revenge plans of Lecter victim ‘Mason Verger’ (Gary Oldman), a wealthy child molester whose contact with Hannibal left him horribly disfigured. Lecter, posing as a library curator, is spotted in Florence by ‘Chief Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi’ (Giancarlo Giannini) who aims to capture the doctor and claim a huge reward. Over in the States, Starling’s progress is hampered by Justice Department creep ‘Paul Krendler’ (Ray Liotta). Clarice seeks justice and redemption, Pazzi and Krendler both get involved with Verger, who has been training a herd of hefty hogs to appreciate pigging out on people, one in particular. The not-good doctor is bemused by his fellow zoo-mates.

“He once told be that whenever feasible, he preferred to eat the rude. “Free-range rude” he called them.”

When Jonathan Demme, who piloted The Silence Of The Lambs, passed on the property, Ridley Scott nimbly stepped in to direct; this was a one-two punch for him that year, which saw going for the kill (count) with the gripping combat carnage of Black Hawk Down. Paring down Harris’ 500+ page novel to an acceptable running time length (132 minutes) wasn’t just dicing heft; it also required cutting out many of its more ‘indigestible’ elements. David Mamet tackled it first, then his multiple drafts were almost completely revamped by Steven Zailian. With the cast ably picked, atmospheric locations selected and millions of dollars in the kitty, there was enough on hand for the animal wranglers/trainers to carefully ‘audition’ 6,000 possible critters to select the eighteen gnarliest 500-pound hogs. The biggest was a Russian boar that weighed in at 770. Let’s agree there would be nicer ways to exit.

CLARICE: “Do right, and you’ll live through this.”   HANNIBAL “Spoken like a true Protestant.”

Hopkins has sinister fun with the role (the situations are so over-the-top it’s almost as campy as spooky), Moore is okay but she can’t help but operate in the shadow of Jodie Foster, plus Clarice’s character is not nearly as well served by the script. Oldman is sublimely yucky as the disgusting Verger, and Giannini is affecting as the ill-fated Pazzi. Hans Zimmer scored, one of a half dozen he composed for the director, and John Mathieson was cinematographer, his second of six for Scott, capturing that smoky patina Sir Ridley often favors, rich on the blue this time. Makeup artist Greg Cannom created the violated face for Verger: Oldman enduring six hours of prep for his scenes. With the ripped up face, a disembowelment, gross hog chomping and several servings of brain food the repellent factor is pushed pretty far.

“You see, the brain itself feels no pain if that concerns you, Clarice. For example, Paul won’t miss this little piece here, which is part of the pre-frontal lobe, which they say is the seat of good manners.”

Sly fox Dino De Laurentiis and his wife Martha bankrolled the $87,000,000 tab, 23% of that for Sir Tony’s salary—that’s called “eating the rich.”  With Željko Ivanek, Frankie R. Faison, Francesca Neri (elegant as Pazzi’s wife), Mark Margolis and Robert Rietti. Followed a year later by prequel Red Dragon, with another showing up five years on in Hannibal Rising.