There’s no doubt that Michael Mann is true auteur though he specializes in thrillers and action films. Even before considering the plot or the themes, the use of colors to give every scene an overt emotional tone and the pulse-pounding music makes this film distinctively his. Manhunter is one of those films that was underappreciated at the time of its release but its reputation improved over time.
Retired FBI investigator Will Graham who has successfully caught two previous serial killers is reluctantly called into service when a killer appears despite his wife’s opposition. Dubbed the Tooth Fairy due the bite marks he has left on his victims, he has already attacked two families in their own homes. After visiting the scene of the latest killing, Graham calls on the last killer he caught, Dr. Hannibal Lecktor, to see if he has any insights to offer. Graham is also hounded by a tabloid reporter who has taken an interest in the case. The police try to set up a trap by having Graham give an interview in which he humiliates the Tooth Fairy and the killer targets the reporter instead. Meanwhile despite elaborate security precautions, Lecktor manages to get in touch with the Tooth Fairy and send him Graham’s home address.
The Hannibal Lecktor here is indeed the same fictional character as the one most famously portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs as this is an adaptation of the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. I was less than enthused at first about this film as Graham seems awfully young for a retired FBI investigator with lots of experience behind him and actor William Petersen plays him with a strangely flat affect and seemingly little emotion. But of course this is precisely the intent as the reason why Graham is so effective at catching the serial killers is because he is able to so easily slip into their mindset and it is anguish and horror of spending so much time thinking like them that drove him into early retirement the last time around. I was also annoyed by how blatantly the film seems to telegraph the death of Graham’s wife but Mann cleverly subverts these expectations. Once I understood all this, my estimation of the film was raised considerably even if it is rather insane how everyone, including the police specialists, are portrayed as being super-competent and resourceful.
Even so, this probably isn’t one of my favorite Michael Mann films. This might have been groundbreaking in its time but we’ve watched many films that are all about the mindset of serial killers already and this doesn’t add to that. It’s also a bit old-fashioned in using Graham’s relationship with his wife and child as its emotional core. Still I do love the color scheme and it remains a solid film that is worth watching.