shahbakht’s review published on Letterboxd:
I recently finished watching NBC's Hannibal and I was blown away by the fact that a show like that was allowed to exist on network TV. It was without doubt one of the weirdest and most intense shows I had ever seen. I absolutely fell in love with the dynamic between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter. Moreover, now I can't imagine anyone else as Lecter except Mads Mikkelsen. Yes, not even Anthony Hopkins.
So, I decided to watch the first iteration of Dr. Lecter on screen. It is a sweet coincidence that it is made by one of my favorite directors of all time: Michael freakin' Mann. I had never gotten around to seeing this movie. Suffice it to say, I liked it very much. Mann infused his own vision into the story of Will Graham. And Brian Cox gives a blistering performance. If Anthony Hopkins won a Lead Actor Academy Award for barely 20 minutes of screen time in Silence of the Lambs, Cox at least deserved to be nominated. The tension builds and builds in this movie, punctuated by moments of Graham's personal life and how this is taking a toll on it.
I suggest fans of Mann and Hannibal watch this. It is worth it.