Script Review: RED DRAGON, April 23, 2001 Draft by Ted Tally

(6/7/01)

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Hi folks, Chris here. I was surprised to see Julius when he staggered into my office and slammed down his latest review, with a shity grin on his face I might add. Last I heard he was doing "The Sky is Farting" or some damn thing. After watching HANNIBAL last year and reading the scripts, I came to the conclusion that old Hannibal "The Cannibal" should be put to bed. It was starting to become a little too familiar and very much over the top. The screenplays by Mamet and Zaillian were forced, sometimes convoluted and always missing the point. Well, after reading Julius' review and the script, I must say I wish we could wipe HANNIBAL off the record and start over. RED DRAGON looks to recapture the brilliance that MANHUNTER and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS brought to the genre. The script opens with a quote from Nietzsche "... if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze into you." Deep stuff. RED DRAGON takes us back to 1983. The script is heavy on Dr. Lecter. He's the star of the story, and in a much bigger way than ever before. The only question, who will play him? Hopkins may be too old to play a younger Lecter, which is why they're talking CGI effects to make him look younger? Okay, there are also rumors of Jude Law playing the part. Whatever, I just hope they get this thing made. Enjoy the review!

First came MANHUNTER, followed by the defining film of 1991, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Then of course we get the all style, no substance sequel to SILENCE, HANNIBAL. Somehow, somewhere the order was given for a remake of the already excellent film, MANHUNTER... what a bad idea! Or so I thought...

I believe that MANHUNTER is vastly superior to both SILENCE and HANNIBAL. The feel of the film is really dark, but there is something else there, something different, it had a Se7en-esque vibe going... frankly indescribable unless you have seen it. I really doubted that the film could be recreated for the better... especially by the same team that did Hannibal, but now as I behold the wonderful, kickass script for RED DRAGON in my hands (dated April 23, 2001)... all doubts are removed.

Thank the stars, the moon, the earth, and the heavens that Ted Tally is back on the case. Mamet and Zaillian's adaptation of Hannibal was sophomoric and uninspired. It's like they took the worst aspects of the novel and pumped 'em all out onto new paper. Tally handles this script very carefully. The same way he did with SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

If you haven't read the novel or script, here is a brief overview of the plot: Will Graham is an FBI agent who struggles to catch, find and understand the mysterious killer only known as the "Red Dragon." He enlists the help of the crazed, but contained Hannibal Lector.

Sounds really good, right? Well, if you knew of the subtle details that Tally adds into the mix for the script, which I'm not going to spoil here, then your excitement would be greatly amplified.

On some levels, the script surpasses SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and at times, even MANHUNTER. I think another review of this script said something to extent of "I had already been through Red Dragon, so reading the script was boring". Well, in my opinion, it made it so much better. I could make the comparisons and admire Tally's brilliance at the same time.

I guess the biggest differences from the novel are the dialogue choices Tally chooses to pursue and the tone. Both in "Red Dragon" and "Manhunter" the humor was extremely limited, but Tally intensifies the funny factor a gajillion percent. The dialogue is a lot more light hearted then in the novel and this is good at times, but unfortunately gets in the way and becomes rather inappropriate when a serious moment kicks in.

On to the critique ...

WHAT I LIKE

-Brings a fresh new perspective to the Red Dragon/Manhunter realm. An excellent new spin at that!

-Funny, Funny, Funny!

-The kick ass way Tally modifies the original concept.

-It is fast paced and straight to the point.

-Takes the best elements from the novel and makes 'em better.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE

-Sometimes you get unnecessary humor that intrudes on the story line.

-The way De Laurentiis will fuck with it eventually.

Finally...

This script is like finally managing to get a good look at the sun or getting a picture of the All Mighty. It's getting a good look at genius in the making. If you get a chance to see this script, take it. It's...umm good.

The "Funk" Score: 9.5 out of 10