Manhunter

Manhunter (1986)

  • 94% of critics liked it
    (33 reviews)

  • 70% of users liked it
    (49,363 ratings)

Red Dragon, the Thomas Harris novel that introduced serial killer Hannibal Lecter to the world, was adapted for the screen by Michael Mann as Manhunter. Ace criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is very good at his job because he has the ability to make himself think like the killers he… More

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R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By
Michael Mann
Written By
Michael Mann
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
In Theaters
Aug 15, 1986 Wide
On DVD
Jan 30, 2001
Anchor Bay Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • David Edelstein, Slate

    Manhunter ushered in the age of empathy for the devil.

  • Pat Graham, Chicago Reader

    I'm intrigued by that stylistic envelope: simultaneously hypnotic and enervating, meditative and empty.

  • Walter Goodman, New York Times

    The movie drives along with such intensity for much of the time that you can just let it work on your senses without worrying about whether it makes sense.

  • Michael Speier, Variety

    An unpleasantly gripping thriller that rubs one's nose in a sick criminal mentality for two hours.

  • Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film

    Cox's Hannibal is a masterclass in moderation.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Chris W


    This is the first film adaptation of one of Thomas Harris's Hannibal novels, as well as the only one (so far) to have a remake. This version of Red Dragon strays quite far from the source material, and even changes character names to Lektor and Dollarhyde, but as a police… More

  • Dan S


    Gripping story concerning a retired FBI agent (William L. Peterson) who is brought back for that dreaded "one last case", in which he is responsible for tracking down a psychotic serial killer (Tom Noonan) who specializes in murdering entire families. While flawed and… More

  • Lady D


    In most remake cases I would agree with the majority of people and say that originals are quite often the better version, this is one case I disagree and did much prefer the remake ?Red Dragon?. Whilst a am a big fan of Brian Cox, there?s no doubt that Anthony Hopkins made this… More

  • Jeff "


    I am a big fan of the film Red Dragon, I thought it was a great adaptation of an amazing book. But Manhunter is an even more intense film and is very much darker than Red Dragon. The film has a certain tone to it that makes you feel very, very uneasy. The atmosphere is dark, surreal… More

  • Conner R


    I've never been a fan of this interpretation of Red Dragon, it just doesn't feel anything like it should. The tone was completely wrong. Brian Cox was good as Hannibal, but it wasn't enough to save the movie. William Peterson was incredibly stale and highly unrelatable.… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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