Hannibal review — Hopkins eats in an underrated sequel

★★★★☆

Years after his escape from police custody, genius cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter now lives in Europe with a new identity. But his freedom is threatened by under-pressure FBI special agent Clarice Starling, as well as a surviving victim hellbent on exacting grisly revenge.

Michael Mann’s excellent Manhunter aside, The Silence of the Lambs will always be the best big-screen adaptation of Thomas Harris’ wildly popular series of novels. But Ridley Scott’s sequel, arriving almost exactly a decade later, deserves way more love than it gets.

A director long-renowned for strong visuals, Scott’s mark is unmistakable as he conjures mood-appropriate atmosphere, from sterile basements to dreamy Florence opera houses, to grubby slaughterhouses. Even a nondescript American mall in broad daylight feels tinged with danger under Scott’s sophisticated eye.

Julianne Moore delivers a worthy performance, a thankless task having to follow up Jodie Foster’s famous, award-winning turn in the previous movie. Gary Oldman is unrecognisable as a severely disfigured survivor of Lector’s savagery. Ray Liotta is also noteworthy as Starling’s slimy boss who almost steals the show in the film’s shocking final scenes.

But really, we all came for Anthony Hopkins. And he doesn’t disappoint, once again serving up a delicious performance with an alarming amount of believability. Despite his sinister true nature lurking behind a serene and subtle campiness, Hopkins’ Hannibal is someone you worryingly end up rooting for, his obsession with Starling bubbling into a bizarre romance that also seems to work despite all evidence to the contrary.