Quadrilogy of Hannibal Lecter

Overall rating: 9.4/10
Genre: Thriller
Overall value for money and time: 9.3/10

1. Silence of the Lambs

Great suspense thriller with top class casting by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. Anthony Hopkins stars as Hannibal Lecter, a highly intelligent pyschotic killer, though behind bars, lends a helping hand to Jodie Foster who is an FBI agent tracking another psychotic killer on the loose. Anthony's acting is realistically disturbing and any scene with him in it, though he speaks in a calm manner, you will still prepare yourself for any shock that might be imminent. Your heart will race throughout the movie and the pace of the movie is just right. Good story build up, including only necessary details while ensuring it doesnt bore you to death. One of the classic movies, the breakthrough movie for both stars indeed.

2. Hannibal

This has got to be the most disturbing movie of the series. I did not watch the quadrilogy in order. In fact, this was the first movie of the quadrilogy that I watched alone in a cinema. I had never seen any movie as graphic as this at that time which I watched it and I was feeling extremely uncomfortable in my seat. Be warned, the last part of the movie is extremely graphic and disturbing. Till now, it still lingers in my mind, a moment of cinematography that I will never forget. Commenting on the plot will spoil the ending for you in "Silence of the Lambs" so I would suggest you read no further and proceed only if you've caught the first installment of this series. Hannibal Lecter is scott free and contacts the same FBI agent in the prequel, however played by Julianne Moore this time. But do not fret, for her acting is highly commendable as well. The build up, suspense and everything is just as superior as the first movie.

3. Red Dragon

Contrary to my expectations, this sequel was much better than I thought it would be. Sequels after sequels, successful sequels are hard to come by. This sequel breaks the norm of your expectations, somewhat similar to the "Bourne Trilogy". It's a high paced movie, faster than it's two prequels. The plot is similar to the first, where another FBI agent, this time a guy, seeks the help of Hannibal to bring another psychotic killer behind bars. Now, you must be wondering, so is Hannibal Lecter put behind bars again? Isn't that lame? No, no, though it's the 3rd movie, it's actually a prequel to the first two movies. In other words, in order of the story line, this comes first, followed by "Silence of the Lambs", then by "Hannibal". Though for a strict critique, logically it wouldn't fit perfectly right because Anthony Hopkins should appear younger in this movie as compared to the first, which is not the case. However that doesn't bother me at all, which just happened to cross my mind while typing this critique down. Depending on individuals, this could be the movie that's far better than the other two. Personally, I'm one of them.

4. Hannibal Rising

"What? Another sequel-prequel movie? And there's not even Anthony Hopkins in it!!" That was my first impression of this movie. This movie is about how Hannibal became what he was since his younger days. So, it's a sequel-prequel movie like "Red Dragon". After watching it, I was satisfied with the movie, though not blown away, moderately satisfied. I didn't expect much for the movie, and this movie was just enough to fill my expectations. This is probably the worse movie for this quadrilogy but it's sure worth your time watching. It's quite gory but not comparable to "Hannibal". The plot build up is a slightly slowler paced for this movie. The casting is just as good, but overall not better than the rest of the other series. This movie gives you a slightly "oldies" kinda feel to it due to the cinematography and because it's supposed to be that way - during the time of World War II. I'm not one too fond of the "oldies" feel but it might just work for you though.