Foreign flicks

RED DRAGON **** Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes Direction: Brett Ratner Showing at: PVR aket, PriyaIt's back to the good, the blood and the ugly. The ghastly cannibal returns for some more gory helpings in this instalment of the Hannibal Lecter series.Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon (1981) had been adapted for the little-known but unnervingly chilly film titled Manhunter (1986).Then followed the sequel The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) which grabbed the box-office as well as five well-deserved Oscars.Inevitably, its popularity engendered Hannibal (2001). And those who thought the blood-franchise was over were sadly mistaken. The novel has been updated yet again. Surprisingly, the result is a spine-tingler.Directed by the slick craftsman Ratner (Rush Hour), the film comes off as a nail-biting, nightmarish head trip. Moreover, the role of the malevolent forensic psychiatrist Hannibal is reprised by Anthony Hopkins and we aren't disappointed. He's bankably brilliant. This time around, the sinister doctor is arrested by a gutsy cop (Norton). But wait. The cop is compelled to seek the genius cannibal's help in apprehending another crazed serial killer (Fiennes, the arch-sadist from Schindler's List).In the film's most harrowing scenes, the incarcerated doctor and his captor cop, a la Jodie Foster in Silence.. probe into each other's psyche in a dangerous pas de deux. Through this game of nerves, the cop hopes to nab the psycho-at-large.Peppered with caustic wit, the screenplay by Ted Tally does falter when it attempts to link the killer's bestiality to his traumatised childhood. The climax, too, is a bit of a let-down.Redeemingly, the director is ably served by Danny Elfman's appropriately eerie music score and the masterly cinematography by the veteran lensman Dante Spinotti.Top-of-the-line performances are delivered by Ralph Fiennes as the sadistic serial killer and Edward Norton as the resourceful cop. In supporting roles, Emily Watson as the killer's blind fiancee and the redoubtable Harvey Keitel as an FBI officer, are riveting. Clearly, Hopkins is still the main attraction. With his unblinking gaze and oracular pronouncements, he embodies the role of the evil genius with glee.As tense and troubling as its precursors, Red Dragon serves up plenty of meaty food for thought. It's worth a big bite.