Starring Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anthony Heald, Tyler Patrick Jones, Frankie Faison. Directed by Brett Ratner. Will Graham (Norton) quit the FBI after working with Dr. Hannibal Lector (Hopkins) in trying to solve a grisly cannibalistic murder. But it turns out the good doctor was the culprit, and Lector almost killed Graham before the latter pumped a couple of rounds into the former. Flash forward a few years later and Graham's new life in a lovely Florida home on the beach is interrupted by a plea from FBI investigator Jack Crawford (Keitel) to help brief local police officers on a series of family massacres by a new serial killer dubbed the Tooth Fairy. Graham's wife Molly (Parker) is not convinced Crawford's request is a short term briefing, and sure enough Will finds himself knee-deep in trying to solve the crimes. He also comes across sleazeball trash reporter Freddy Lounds (Seymour-Hoffman), who covered him in the Lector case in an unnnecessarily intrusive way and who is later contacted by the Tooth Fairy (Fiennes). A blind woman Reba (Watson) unknowingly contacts the Tooth Fairy through work is thrust in the middle. But will the FBI be able to catch the Tooth Fairy before the next full moon when he's bound to kill again. Red Dragon is a remake of the 1986 film Manhunter, based on the first Thomas Harris book featuring Hannibal Lector, and this film features an expanded role for Hannibal Lector. The start of the film is startling, with the offensive playing by a flautist in the presence of Dr. Lector and his subsequent disappearance, and then the quick and dramatic confrontation between Graham and Lector being very well-executed. This film is an improvement on the not particularly good Hannibal, the last movie in the series, but it is nowhere near as suspenseful or interesting as the first seen Silence Of The Lambs. It does however, contain enough pleasures to make it worthwhile. The story moves along at a brisk pace, and it maintains interest throughout. The cast is uniformly excellent. Edward Norton is solid as the gifted investigator tortured by his ability to see patterns and leads where no one else in the FBI does. Ralph Fiennes provides another of his intense, neurotic outcasts to fine effect. Despite Anthony Hopkin's public denouncements of his work and the role, he clearly has great fun with it and plays Lector with enthusiasm. Philip Seymour-Hoffman oozes sleaze and total lack of character, Mary Louise Parker is sweet and wholly attractive as the wife wary of her husband re-entering his old dangerous line of work and Emily Watson is sympathetic as the strong but vulnerable woman interested in the wrong guy. On the negative side, Harvey Keitel is not at his best and lacks his usual intensity. The overly manipulative formulaic trick ending is also not a highlight. Red Dragon is a well-made and credible entry in the Hannibal Lector series, but hopefully this is the last one and the Dr. Lector is allowed to retire to his cell in peace. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page