Hannibal Rising (2007)

HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2025

Director: Peter Webber

Writer: Thomas Harris, based on his novel

Stars: Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Dominic West, Rhys Ifans, Helena-Lia Tachovska, Kevin McKidd, Richard Brake, Stephen Walters, Ivan Marevich

This film purports to tell the story of Hannibal Lecter's childhood and the reason he became the diabolical serial killer we all love to fear.

 However, it just doesn't ring true for me. 

In this film, Hannibal is on a righteous, if gruesome, mission to avenge the murder of his little sister, which provides justification and dramatic sweep to his violence.

 

We never see him engaging in any of the childhood behaviors that have been pretty well established as classic precursors of serial killing, such as cruelty to animals. 

When we contrast this with his behavior in earlier films, such as biting the face off a nurse (referred to in "Silence of the Lambs") or killing and cooking a musician for hitting a sour note ("Red Dragon"), we are left to conclude that he must have developed a taste for murder as a result of his actions in this movie rather than an abusive childhood. 

Of course, I'm overanalyzing it. 

The obvious reason for constructing the plot in this way is to build sympathy for Hannibal by rationalizing his despicable nature as the product of a sensitive, hurt soul. 

Actor Anthony Hopkins, "Silence" director Jonathan Demme, and even "Red Dragon" director Brett Ratner created a compelling character by making us fear Hannibal, not empathize with him. 

On its own terms, this is just an okay movie (albeit one that wastes the wonderful Gong Li as a ridiculous Japanese stereotype). As a chapter in the saga of Hannibal Lecter, it is a terrible misstep.