As much acclaim that have been given to Manhunter and SOTL I find that the films just owe too much to a genre filled with mediocrities. Although both the films are very interesting when looking at the process of bringing a novel on the screen the main interest in my opinion lies with the novels. As the Red Dragon was interesting as an introduction into the world of Lektor/Lecter, SOTL started to repeat the form, making the book and the film both predictable and not so much new and innovative.
Manhunter may look a bit cheap in comparison with SOTL that was made in the 90's with a large budget as it was intended as a mainstream film. But my criticism of the Manhunter does not lie in the lack of a grand budget but rather in the handling of the story. As Mann follows the novel fairly extensively, the film could still use more material from the book. The look of the film might also be better, with the Miami Vice images just making me head for the exit or for another channel.
The story could elaborate more about the character of Dolarhyde but even the novel doesn't really go that far in the philosophical dimensions that are there in my opinion. In my mind the book builds on crime fiction tradition very much like the film does and even if that isn't necessarily bad they both still fall short of a place as any kinds of classics. Still occasionally effective Manhunter stands as an evidence to the fact that even Michael Mann can do something worthwhile when he stays away from TV-series and epics.
Manhunter may look a bit cheap in comparison with SOTL that was made in the 90's with a large budget as it was intended as a mainstream film. But my criticism of the Manhunter does not lie in the lack of a grand budget but rather in the handling of the story. As Mann follows the novel fairly extensively, the film could still use more material from the book. The look of the film might also be better, with the Miami Vice images just making me head for the exit or for another channel.
The story could elaborate more about the character of Dolarhyde but even the novel doesn't really go that far in the philosophical dimensions that are there in my opinion. In my mind the book builds on crime fiction tradition very much like the film does and even if that isn't necessarily bad they both still fall short of a place as any kinds of classics. Still occasionally effective Manhunter stands as an evidence to the fact that even Michael Mann can do something worthwhile when he stays away from TV-series and epics.