SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: HANNIBAL

"HANNIBAL"
(2001) (Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	Minor	Extreme	None	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Moderate	Minor	Mild	Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Suspense/Thriller: An FBI agent tries to find a notorious serial killer she interviewed ten years earlier who's still on the loose and once again up to his homicidal ways.

PLOT:

It's been ten years since FBI agent Clarice Starling (JULIANNE MOORE) interviewed convicted serial killer and admitted cannibal Hannibal Lecter (ANTHONY HOPKINS) while searching for another killer. After assuming responsibility for a botched drug bust that resulted in her shooting the suspect who was holding a baby, Clarice is on the hot seat. About to be punished by Justice Dept. official Paul Krendler (RAY LIOTTA), she gets a reprieve when Mason Verger (GARY OLDMAN), a wealthy and influential recluse, asks that she be put back on the Lecter case and that the killer, who's been on the lam for the past decade, be reinstated on the FBI's ten most wanted list.

It seems that Verger was Lecter's only victim to have survived, but with a terribly scarred face and a life sentence in a wheelchair. Verger apparently has some new evidence about Lecter, so Clarice goes to interview him, and then does the same with Barney (FRANKIE R. FAISON), a former guard who knew Lecter for many years and is in possession of many audiotapes of the killer's thoughts.

Meanwhile in Florence, Italy, Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (GIANCARLO GIANNINI) is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a curator and thus goes to question the man's potential replacement, Dr. Fell, who turns out to be none other than Hannibal Lecter.

Once Pazzi realizes who Fell really is, he sets out to collect evidence to prove that and collect a handsome reward, all while Clarice tries to pinpoint the origin of a letter she received from Hannibal that stated it was time for him to get back into the limelight. From that point on, and as Verger decides to use Clarice to lure in Lecter so that he can get his revenge on him, the various involved parties try to find the killer who always seems to be one step ahead of their plans and thinking.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of the original film, "The Silence of the Lambs," or anyone in the cast, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For strong gruesome violence, some nudity and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: ANTHONY HOPKINS plays an intelligent and charming, but brutal serial killer who's also a cannibal.
JULIANNE MOORE plays an FBI agent who's determined to capture Lecter and has recently killed several criminals in the line of duty.
GARY OLDMAN plays a wealthy recluse who wants revenge on Lecter for leaving him in a wheelchair with a horribly disfigured face. He uses various people to do just that and also briefly uses some strong profanity.
RAY LIOTTA a corrupt and mean Justice Dept. official who doesn't like Clarice and uses some strong profanity.
GIANCARLO GIANNINI plays an Italian cop who becomes too greedy in his attempt to recover a reward for Hannibal's capture. He also smokes.; JULIANNE MOORE plays an FBI agent who's determined to capture Lecter and has recently killed several criminals in the line of duty.
GARY OLDMAN plays a wealthy recluse who wants revenge on Lecter for leaving him in a wheelchair with a horribly disfigured face. He uses various people to do just that and also briefly uses some strong profanity.
RAY LIOTTA a corrupt and mean Justice Dept. official who doesn't like Clarice and uses some strong profanity.
GIANCARLO GIANNINI plays an Italian cop who becomes too greedy in his attempt to recover a reward for Hannibal's capture. He also smokes.; GARY OLDMAN plays a wealthy recluse who wants revenge on Lecter for leaving him in a wheelchair with a horribly disfigured face. He uses various people to do just that and also briefly uses some strong profanity.
RAY LIOTTA a corrupt and mean Justice Dept. official who doesn't like Clarice and uses some strong profanity.
GIANCARLO GIANNINI plays an Italian cop who becomes too greedy in his attempt to recover a reward for Hannibal's capture. He also smokes.; RAY LIOTTA a corrupt and mean Justice Dept. official who doesn't like Clarice and uses some strong profanity.
GIANCARLO GIANNINI plays an Italian cop who becomes too greedy in his attempt to recover a reward for Hannibal's capture. He also smokes.; GIANCARLO GIANNINI plays an Italian cop who becomes too greedy in his attempt to recover a reward for Hannibal's capture. He also smokes.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated suspense thriller. Both the violence and blood/gore categories receive extreme rating due to various killings -- at the hands of a serial killer (and by various means), police (in various shoot outs) and some human eating boars - and other, non-lethal moments that are quite bloody and graphically gory in nature. One scene in particular, where part of a man's brain is cut from his head (that's missing the top half of the skull), fried, and fed back to him is sure to turn the stomach of all but the most hardened viewers.

Those scenes, along with more traditional "look out" moments will be unsettling, suspenseful and/or downright frightening to some viewers, and many of those responsible for the story's mayhem, and others, have extreme cases of bad attitudes. Profanity consists of at least 2 "f" words, while a handful of other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. A few sexually related comments are made, some homosexual material and partial nudity is somewhat seen in a disorienting flashback, and several hand drawn sketches show instances of female nudity.

Beyond that, some characters smoke and drink, and several take drugs or are drugged. Due to the severity of some of the film's content, we strongly suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home who may want to see it.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: There's some talk about drugs and a mayor of Washington, D.C. using them right before an attempted but unrelated drug bust.
We see a flashback to when Verger met with Lecter (and they have drinks) who then gave Verger some sort of hallucinogenic drug (and then see Verger acting as if drugged/high).
One of Starling's coworkers mentions that evidence about Lecter's case disappears as regularly as cocaine that's been seized.
Starling drinks what may be liquor (based on how she's drinking it - small sips).
Lecter has wine, as do others around him.
Pazzi has a drink.
Various people have drinks after a performance, including Pazzi and his wife.
Verger and his doctor have drinks (the former drinking his through a straw).
We see Starling with a drink, do so again and then see it sitting next to her as she sleeps or has passed out in a chair.
We learn that a person injected another person with morphine (after that second person was shot).
We see a man who's been drugged or lobotomized.
Lecter drinks some wine after he offers it to Starling who refuses.
Lecter has some wine.

BLOOD/GORE: We see many shots of Verger's face that's very disfigured and scarred (from where he cut much of it off years earlier during a drug-induced moment).
Several people are bloody after being injured/killed during a gun battle, and Starling washes blood off a baby that was splattered/covered with her mother's blood.
We see a flashback (that's shot in a disorienting fashion that only shows brief bits of what follows) where a drugged man takes a shard of glass and starts cutting off his own face (while drugged). We see a piece of flesh fall to the floor that Lecter then allows a dog to eat.
We see some blood on Lecter's face and shirt after he attacked someone (seen on videotape).
We briefly see various color and black & white photos of bloody murder victims (or parts of their bodies) and then do so again later (including one of a person who looks like they were impaled several times).
Blood pours/squirts out of a man's wound to his gut (behind his shirt that's also soaked in blood while his hand is also covered in blood).
We see various slides of old paintings and statues depicting various people being killed by hanging and disembowelment, etc. (none of which are horribly graphic, but do show some blood and intestines in an old style).
We see some intestines plop down onto a street after Lecter slices open a man's belly (we also see part of the dead man's intestines hanging from his body as he hangs from a noose).
Lecter slices a man's throat open, killing him (we don't see the actual cutting, but do see lots of blood on him and a pool of running blood on the floor behind him - and also hear the sound of it running from his body).
Starling's shoulder is a bit bloody after being shot there (and has some blood on her neck), and we later see that wound being stitched up (we also see a needle going into the skin).
A pack of wild, man-eating boars attack a man (and apparently a dead body near him), resulting in lots of blood and related carnage.
We see Hannibal take a knife and cut along a pre-existing incision on a man's head, and then lift the top of his skull off his head, exposing his bloody brain (the man is still alive). He then cuts back the protective sack/sheath and then cuts out part of the brain, cooks it up in a frying pan, and feeds it back to the man (who's drugged or lobotomized and thus doesn't know what he's eating).
We later see a small container of human brains and Lecter feeds some of them to a child who doesn't know what they are.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Lecter obviously has both for being a cannibalistic serial killer.
A police officer disobeys/disregards orders to stand down from a pending drug bust, thus resulting in an exchange of gunfire that leaves several people dead and Starling's reputation tarnished.
Some drug dealers have both for dealing drugs and opening fire on the police and government agents (with one dealer even carrying a baby around her chest during the drug deal).
A government official turns out to be corrupt and accepting bribes/kickbacks to do certain things for another person.
Paul is mean and disrespectful toward Starling (telling her hat she either work with him or he'll hold it against her and that "this town is full of corn born country p*ssy") and states that he's always thought Lecter was a "queer" based on his hobbies and interests.
It's implied that a former mental hospital orderly did some illegal things (there's talk about some woman signing his name on an application and his tax returns).
A pickpocket victimizes someone on the street and Pazzi then hires this man to do the same to Lecter (to get his fingerprint).
Pazzi lies to Starling about his knowledge of Lecter.
Starling disobeys orders (after being put on administrative leave) and keeps working on the case, even trespassing on someone's property, illegally carrying a gun and shooting and killing several bad guys.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Other scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers.
We see many shots of Verger's face that's very disfigured and scarred (from where he cut much of it off years earlier during a drug-induced moment) that may be unsettling or scary for some viewers.
We see a flashback (that's shot in a disorienting fashion that only shows brief bits of what follows) where a drugged man takes a shard of glass and starts cutting off his own face (while drugged). We see a piece of flesh fall to the floor that Lecter then allows a dog to eat.
A detective goes to see Lecter at his place, and since we know what Lecter is capable of, the tension builds as we expect him to do something to this man.
The same holds true for a scene where a criminal repeatedly tries to get close enough to Lecter to pickpocket him, and later when another man is around him again (that he later has bound and gagged and apparently ready to do harm to).
Some men run into a building with their guns drawn, hoping to find Lecter.
The above, preset tension is present when we see Lecter hovering over/nearby Starling as she sleeps.
Starling tries to untie someone before a pack of wild and man-eating boars break through a fence and attack both of them.
A pack of wild, man-eating boars attack several men (and apparently a dead body near them), resulting in lots of blood and related carnage (and sounds of the victims screaming).
We see Hannibal take a knife and cut along a pre-existing incision on a man's head, and then lift the top of his skull off his head, exposing his bloody brain (the man is still alive). He then cuts back the protective sack/sheath and then cuts out part of the brain, cooks it up in a frying pan, and feeds it back to the man (who's drugged or lobotomized and thus doesn't know what he's eating).
A person evidently cuts off a handcuffed hand with a meat cleaver (we don't see the impact, only the swinging motion).
Lecter feeds some human brains to a child who doesn't know what it is.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Handguns/Shotguns/Machine guns/Knives or shivs: Carried by various characters and used to wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.
Stun gun: Used by some men to stun and capture another man.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "What the f*ck?" "Balls" (testicles) and "Shut up."

JUMP SCENES: Lecter suddenly lunges at and attacks a man (that we see on videotape).

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and traditionally scary music plays during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 2 "f" words (1 used sexually), 2 slang terms for female genitals ("p*ssy"), 1 slang term using male genitals ("c*cks*cker"), 1 ass, 1 damn, 1 hell, and 1 use each of "G-damn," "For Christ's sakes," "Jesus" and "Oh God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Paul briefly gazes at Starling's bare thigh (that shows below her skirt), as does the camera.
We see a flashback to when Verger apparently tried to seduce Lecter. After Lecter gives him some sort of hallucinogenic drug, we then see Verger seemingly hanging/tied up off the floor, with his pants around his ankles (and see a very brief, but disorienting shot of what looks like the lower part of Verger's bare butt).
We see a crude sketch that Lecter has drawn of a man and woman, with the latter showing bare breasts (that Starling later has covered up).
A classic statue in Italy shows male full frontal nudity.
After telling Starling that "this town is full of corn born country p*ssy," he adds that he'd have a go with her right now if she'd reconsider (she doesn't).
We see an Italian cop drawing a sketch of a nude woman that shows bare breasts and pubic hair.
Talking about Lecter's unique relationship with Starling, Verger asks if Lecter wants to "f*ck her," kill her or eat her alive.
Starling wakes up to find herself wearing a low-cut dress that shows cleavage.

SMOKING: Pazzi smokes more than five times, while one of Verger's thugs smokes several times and various miscellaneous/background characters smoke in various scenes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: There's a brief mention of Starling's dead father.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Serial killers and their modus operandi.
Starling and Lecter's non-romantic relationship with each other.

VIOLENCE: A massive gun battle breaks out between some drug dealers and police officers & government agents, resulting in six people being killed (we don't know about injuries and only see a few of the people being hit by bullets). During this, a car runs into a person who flips up onto the windshield (with blood on the glass) and vehicles crash into other vehicles (including a person being crushed as he hangs out of a window and the vehicle he's in smashes into another). Starling then shoots a man dead (with some blood from his mouth). After a brief standoff, a suspect pulls out a gun and shoots Starling several times in the body (she's wearing a bulletproof vest) and Starling then shoots and kills her (with some bloody results).
We see a flashback (that's shot in a disorienting fashion that only shows brief bits of what follows) where a drugged man takes a shard of glass and starts cutting off his own face (while drugged). We see a piece of flesh fall to the floor that Lecter then allows a dog to eat.
Lecter suddenly lunges at and attacks a man (that we see on videotape), apparently biting the man's face (but we don't see any of that in graphic detail).
It's implied that Lecter killed a curator that he's now trying to replace.
Lecter stabs a man in the gut (we don't see the actual penetration), delivering a fatal and bloody wound.
On cue, a bunch of wild boars attack what looks like a dummy tied to a vehicle (biting into it, etc.).
We see various slides of old paintings and statues depicting various people being killed by hanging and disembowelment, etc. (none of which are horribly graphic in today's sense of the word).
Lecter grabs and briefly struggles with a man, placing a cloth soaked in some sort of anesthetic or other substance over his mouth and nose, rendering the man partially or completely unconscious.
Lecter puts a noose around a man's neck (as that man is bound and gagged to a large dolly-like cart). He then slices open the man's belly just as he pushes him off a balcony, causing him to be hanged.
Lecter slices a man's throat open, killing him (we don't see the actual cutting, but do see lots of blood on him and a pool of running blood on the floor behind him - and also hear the sound of it running from his body).
Some men use a stun gun to stun and capture another man. As they then escape (with one punching that man in the face - we don't see the impact), their van sideswipes other vehicles and nearly hits Starling who nearly shoots at them, but refrains from doing so.
Starling shoots two bad guys, killing one and wounding the other. She then shoots and injures or kills another bad guy, but not before being hit in the shoulder herself.
A pack of wild boars attack and maul/kill several men (resulting in lots of blood and related carnage).
Hannibal struggles with another man as he puts a liquid soaked cloth over his face that renders him unconscious.
We see Hannibal take a knife and cut along a pre-existing incision on a man's head, and then lift the top of his skull off his head, exposing his bloody brain (the man is still alive). He then cuts back the protective sack/sheath and then cuts out part of the brain, cooks it up in a frying pan, and feeds it back to the man (who's drugged or lobotomized and thus doesn't know what he's eating).
A man pushes a woman backwards into a refrigerator (after she tries to hit him with a candlestick), and then does so again.
A person evidently cuts off a handcuffed hand with a meat cleaver (we don't see the impact, only the swinging motion).

Reviewed February 5, 2001 / Posted February 9, 2001

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.