Could you imagine it as a love story ? Yet... Imagine the ruthlessness of a man who is ready to wreck everything and everyone on his way to power. Then imagine the cold heart of Dr Lecter kindle and blaze for his Nemesis and his brain, trained by years of learning, entering the game with its unabatable determination backed by an unpaired ability to calculate and anticipate.
I have first seen "Hannibal" then "The silence of the lambs", and my preference goes to the former. While the latter is an amazing thriller, the plot is quite straightforward and the pair Starling - Lecter, a "teacher and student" team. "Hannibal", however, is masterfully more ambiguous and provides a lot more to think about.
One can see this film as the comeback of Hannibal Lecter, the brilliant villain ready to defy the all-powerful FBI in order to satisfy his ego or as a thriller that holds you before the screen until the end. Fans of gore will remember the scene where the famous doctor holds a lecture on the anatomy of the brain. But when he has given you almost every reason to hate and despise him, the brilliant minded - cold hearted psychopath will say with a voice that perfectly blends determination, resignation and tenderness : "This will really hurt"...
So is he truly the monster he is supposed to be? Wicked but ready to walk through (almost) hell for his longtime pursuer? Selfish? (You may want to reconsider this opinion at the end of the movie). And, speaking of monsters, who is the real one? The cannibal doctor or the ones ready to trespass every written and unwritten law with neither regret nor remorse, turning people into mere bait?
Lecter is, indeed, a man of contradictions. Aren't we all?
In the end, though, it's up to you. You can look at this movie as an entertaining piece of work with suspense, action and a well drawn plot, suitable to be seen once then put aside. You can also consider it as violent and cruel stuff, best avoided. Or you can choose to see it as a piece of life where meanness and cruelty stand aside righteousness, courage and hope.
A small masterpiece in my opinion. Feel free to build yours...

While I would have preffered the novel's ending to the story of Hannibal, this was a wonderful, wonderful movie.
I ADORE Anthony Hopkin's as Hannibal Lecter. I was a little put off that Jodi Foster wasn't playing the role of Clarice Starling.
Julianne Moore did a wonderful job, but she just isn't Clarice in my mind.

Anthony is brilliantly cold and dangerous. I loved the scenes in Italy, especially the Opera scene. Beautiful filming.

I must say, the scenes with the Boars and the "Dinner" scene are my absolute all time favorites.

No one will watch this movie with me though, they are so distrubed by it. Deffinatley NOT for the weak of stomach/mind. This movie will shock you...in a good way.

I think that this film is the best out of the rest of the series. It is full of action and it keep you well entertained.

This is absolutely the best of the entire Hannibal Lecter film series thus far. Ridley Scott's dedication to making solid films and not movies really pushes Hannibal far to the forefront of anti-hero worship and in the most uncomfortable of ways that just get under every inch of your skin.

So when did it become cool to really identify and bond with these villainous anti-hero's like Dr. Hannibal Lecter? Maybe it goes back further than I can place as I write this, but not in modern film and literature has there been such a mesmerizing and indelible character that most viewers just cant seem to get enough of.

I can fully understand the brilliance of Jeff Lindsey, who knew that Thomas Harris wouldn't be able to satiate everyone's desires by writing fast enough and picked up the mantle with the Darkly Dreaming Dexter series. He successfully reproduces a creepy yet likable murderous psychopath in the vain of Dr. Lecter. If you haven't seen the Showtime presentation of Dexter, it's a must see.

As for Sir Anthony, I'm sure that I speak the sentiment of most when I say that it would be good to see him reprise his role once more and it would be equally cool to see it directed by Ridley Scott.

The extras on the disc are fantastic for those looking to purchase the 2 disc version. It's well worth the money. Ridley's commentary is fascinating -- he actually states that of all his films 'this one is my favourite'. I was pretty stunned by that as I'm a big fan of Blade Runner. He probably enjoyed making Hannibal, which would be the difference of the two, as most already know, regarding Blade Runner.

This movie is just as riveting as was the "Silence of the Lambs" and it does spend some time in my beloved Italy. Hannibal Lector will have yo spell bound. Moore makes you not miss Foster in this movie, nope not one bit, and in this movies the good guys are the bad guys, or is it the bad guys are the good, oh never mind. There are some moments that aren't for the faint of heart, but if you can hold through those moments you'll find this a great movie. Just a foot note here; The book was 10 times better than the movie with a better ending in my opinion. Read the book as well but leave the lights on.