I really enjoyed the film..
Anthony Hopkins is brilliant in his role as Dr.Lecter.
Julianne Moore is a poor substitute for Jodie Foster in the Silence of the Lambs.
But a good film for Hannibal lovers out there.

This is by far the poorest of the Lector trilogy.
I really liked Silence and after watching Red Dragon on TV i was looking forward to see what happened after the end of Silence.

Its a dissapointment thats what it is there is very little tension in the film and Julianne Moore is a poor substitue for Jodie Foster.

Prorbably one of the best films i've seen - better than silence and red dragon put together - the love story develops between Clarrise and Hannibal - breathtaking. Definitly Reccomend.

I brought this dvd because i loved silence of the lambs so i thout i wud love this film. But in reality this film is weak! Not really a very strong story line and i struggled to stay interested! Not sure if its worth a fiver

I too, like the chap below me, read the book, and it is a very good book. But I won't dwell on that.
The film is decent, rather engrossing, and Hopkins is delightful as ever as the very cultured Dr Lector. However, the ending isn't brilliant, in fact it's rather farcical, and I found myself laughing very loudly at what I'm sure is meant to be a rather serious finale.

I don't think Ridley Scott (Gladiator etc) was the right director. If it was about a guy called Hannibal guiding a bunch of elephants through the Alps, then yes.
But not this Hannibal.

It's a very rare sequel that's better than the original film and "Hannibal" isn't one of them. But in addition, the film actually succeeds in squandering the considerable credit that "The Silence of the Lambs" earned with the cinema-going public.

Absolutely nothing is right in this film: Lecter, ironically, seems less dangerous at liberty than he did caged, whilst Starling has lost all her youthful vulnerability and is now as tough as old boots, to the extent that you start to worry about how Lecter will cope when they finally meet.

Gone, too, is the earlier subtlety which left so much to the audience's imagination and the very graphic nature of the atrocities in the film plays like a very sick joke which you can hardly believe you've heard (or in this case, seen). In addition we have re-heated sexism, the producers obviously hoping this will help the audience re-set its moral compass to the extent that a chauvinistic member of the criminal justice system somehow deserves to be murdered by a homicidal maniac. It doesn't work and you almost end up wishing for the days when a film like this couldn't have been made, not because of the violence and gore but because it depicts a criminal getting away with his crime.

So in other words, we don't so much have the nice Chianti of the first film but a cheap bottle of liebfraumilch of the sort that gives you a bad head in the morning. Best not to bother, therefore, and you won't spoil your memories of the truly scary original.

I really enjoyed this movie. It started off a bit slow but if you keep watching it, it starts to get much more interesting and a lot more fun to watch. Overall this is a very good film and definitely worth a fiver.

***ONLY A LITTLE SPOILER***

The sequel to 'Silence of the Lambs' is a strong, creepy and beautiful story of the sophisticated killer and anti-hero Hannibal Lecter. The story brings us to Florence, where the beautiful city is in perfect contrast with the evil and admirable Lecter. It is the evil within the beauty. This also comes to sight in Lecter's 'Romeo & Juliet'-like relationship with Clarice Starling. Towards the end he asks her: "Would ever say 'stop'... If you love me, you'd stop?"; the beauty within the evil.

The acting is superb, though Julianne Moore sometimes struggles with Jodie Foster's unfair legacy as Clarice Starling. Moore is not as strong on screen as Foster was, but what does it matter? The story is NOT about Clarice Starling, but about Hannibal Lecter; Clarice got her story told in 'Silence of the Lambs', and with 'Hannibal' we get a story about this fascination figure Hannibal Lecter. 'The Starling Story, part II' was never the intention (or the need).
Hopkins is simply great! With such calmness, stylish taste of art, and sophisticated evil, he brings more life to the character than any actor could ever do.
Gary Oldman is a great choice as the vengeful Mason Verger. He does a great job, and the character is even more evil than Hannibal himself.

The score done by Hans Zimmer is frightening and disturbing when it has to be. But it's also beyond beautiful; it's filled with such emotion and sensibility, which will leave you almost crying, especially during the opera sequence - Again, the beauty against the beast.

My only small catch with the film is a special scene towards the end. It is so sickening and gross but completes the terrifying picturing of Hannibal the Cannibal.

'Hannibal' is a beautiful horror film. It should not be watched by the ones, who expect graphic violence, blood and more blood. Sure it has it scenes, but it's not the main focus.

'Hannibal' is within no doubt one of the most underrated films of all time. It has great acting, a strong story, beautiful locations, emotionally strong moments, a beautiful score and the indirectly manipulation psychological horror, which we all love the sophisticated cannibal for.

...but then again, what film adaptation ever is? Once again, we witness Dr. Lecter's crocodilian patience as he skulks around the beautiful city that is Florence. Bent on revenge, his genteel composure is maddening at times, but as we see, it's all for a very 'good' reason! No mention of Margot (Mason Verger's long suffering sister) no dream sequence to represent Dr. Lecter's 'Memory Palace' (thankfully!) and an ending that is far removed from novel. However, none of these variations detract from what is a taught and atmospheric thriller. A combination of Ridley Scott grittiness, Dino and Martha de Laurentis astuteness and a haunting score from Hans Zimmer only serve to make a worthy, if not entirely accurate adaptation of Thomas Harris's third Hannibal Lecter offering.