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"HANNIBAL RISING" (2007) (Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Extreme Extreme *Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Mild Extreme None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Extreme Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror/Suspense: An increasingly cunning and unflappable psychopath goes on a murder spree as he gets revenge on those who murdered and ate his sister during WWII. PLOT: It's 1944 and young Hannibal Lecter (AARON THOMAS) is a happy kid living with his family in Lithuania. But WWII soon encroaches, forcing them from their castle to a remote home in the woods. Yet, they're not safe even there, and a battle between a Russian tank crew and a German fighter results in everyone in his family being killed, save for his younger sister, Mischa (HELENA-LIA TACHOVSKA). They must then contend with the arrival of a small band of war opportunists led by Vladis Grutas (RHYS IFANS) who take cover in the kids' home and plan to use the children as an alibis should soldiers from either side confront them. With the food now gone and their hunger increasing, Grutas and the others, including Kolnas (KEVIN McKIDD), Dortlich (RICHARD BRAKE), Milko (STEPHEN WALTERS) and Grentz (IVAN MAREVICH), decide to kill and eat Mischa, a development that will forever haunt her brother. Years later, Hannibal (GASPARD ULLIEL) escapes from the orphanage run in his former home and makes his way to Paris where he finds that his uncle is dead, but his Japanese aunt, Lady Murasaki (GONG LI), takes him in and teaches him various things, including culture, how to survive, and the ways of the samurai. Having been changed forever by the actions of Grutas and the others, Hannibal takes out his pent-up anger on a butcher who's been acting lewdly toward his aunt. That sparks the interest of Nazi war criminal hunter, Popil (DOMINIC WEST), but the police inspector can't prove the increasingly cunning and unflappable young man's involvement with the murder. With his bloodlust now energized, and with the knowledge gained from attending medical school, Hannibal then sets out to get revenge on those who killed and ate his sister, all as his aunt tries to figure out how to react, and Popil tries to catch him in the act. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the Hannibal Lecter movies, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong grisly violent content and some language/sexual references. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: GASPARD ULLIEL plays the young, erudite psychopath who, armed with various bits of learning, kills those who've wronged him or others. He uses some strong profanity. GONG LI plays his widowed Japanese aunt who lost her entire family in the war, and takes in and educates Hannibal in the ways of the world, including how to defend oneself. She eventually becomes romantically attached to him, despite their relationship through her previous marriage, as well as his murderous ways. RHYS IFANS plays the evil leader of a band of war opportunists who take over young Hannibal and Mischa's house during the war, then kill, and eat the girl to stay alive. Years later, he's still a criminal type who enslaves women as prostitutes. He uses some strong profanity and briefly smokes. DOMINIC WEST plays the French police inspector who's hunting down Nazi war criminals while also trying to figure out if Lecter is the serial killer. KEVIN McKIDD, RICHARD BRAKE, STEPHEN WALTERS, and IVAN MAREVICH play Grutas' minions who kill others, including Mischa, the latter for food. AARON THOMAS plays Hannibal as a boy who must contend with the death of most of his family and trying to protect Mischa from Grutas and the others. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror thriller. Profanity consists of at least 3 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some brief, but sexually related dialogue is present, as is a scene where a man violently comes on to a woman (including fondling her crotch), while it's implied some women have been abducted as sex slaves of some sort. Violence consists of a psychopath and others separately murdering various people in various ways and with various weapons, while deadly wartime violence is also present. Some of that has extremely bloody and/or gory results, and those scenes and other moments of potential peril may be unsettling, suspenseful, or even scary to viewers, particularly younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Various characters obviously have bad attitudes, while some drink and/or smoke. Tense family material includes a young boy witnessing the deaths of his entire family, while others talk of losing theirs during the war as well. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We briefly see a miscellaneous man who appears to be intoxicated. Some of the villains drink. Hannibal has wine. BLOOD/GORE A person has blood or mud on their head. Blood spurts out when several men are hit by separate gunfire. We then see blood on Hannibal's father's face and less so on his mother's face. Grutas shoots an injured Nazi in the head (we don't see the actual impact, but do see the resultant small hole there). When one of his men brings a dead and frozen animal for them to eat, Grutas says that what look like peppercorns are actually frozen maggots, meaning the meat was already rotten. Grutas feeds on a freshly dead and raw bird, feathers and all, resulting in blood being on his face. Following a nightmare where he apparently bit his own lip in his sleep, Hannibal has a little blood around his mouth. Hannibal accidentally cuts his finger, prompting Lady Murasaki to sew up the deep wound (seen in a gory close-up view). We see Japanese samurai drawings of severed heads. We see some blood on a market butcher. We see a man gut a recently caught fish, yanking out and disposing of the bloody intestines in the water (we also see blood on his hand). Hannibal gets revenge on a much larger butcher who thinks he's going to rough up the young man. But Hannibal repeatedly slices the man with a samurai sword (across the gut, arm, back, etc.) with bloody results (especially the belly wound). We see blood from the man's mouth and then witness Hannibal decapitate the man (seen from a distance, but we see the head come off). We see a dead body in a morgue and note that it's missing the head. Lady Murasaki finds a man's severed and bloody head on a plate in her worship room. We later see that same head on a post outside a police station (with a bloody swastika carved into the forehead). We see Hannibal lower a seemingly headless cadaver in medical school and then cutting into some body part (possibly a head) with very bloody/gory results. We see a little backwash of blood in a syringe as Hannibal injects himself with sodium pentothal (to help himself remember what happened when Grutas and the others killed his sister). We see a flashback to the war as bombs drop with resultant explosions, including causing part of the house to fall on one of Grutas' men, mortally wounding him (with a little bit of bloody results). Hannibal finds a skull in the remains of his house. We see Hannibal burying a few pieces of his long dead sister's skeletal remains, including her small skull. Blood splatters onto Hannibal's cheek as a man is decapitated (not seen), and he then tastes that blood. We then see the severed head on a tree trunk with a large chunk of flesh that's been removed from the cheek area. We see various organs, other body parts, and what looks like a baby's deformed skeleton in medicine specimen jars. We see some dead bodies in a large, liquid-filled vat. We see a needle going into an organ that's been removed from a body. We then hear the sound of a bone saw, but don't see what's being cut (although we later learn it was an arm Hannibal cut from a cadaver -- we see him return it to the covered body). We see a cadaver with its chest open, and then Hannibal briefly working in that open area. We see a severed head (with a chunk of flesh missing from the cheek) burning in an incinerator. Grutas shoots a woman dead (we don't see the impact), and blood smears down the wall following her body. Hannibal delivers a bloody bag to a villain, making that man think it's his daughter's head (but it's just a raw roast). Hannibal has blood on his face. Hannibal jams a knife up through a man's chin, twists it, and then gives it another thrust so that the end of the blade pops out of the top of the man's head (all with bloody results). We see blood spurt out as Hannibal cuts a man's Achilles tendons. He then proceeds to cut into the man's chest at various points and then stabs the knife down into his arm, pinning it to the floor (we don't see the impact, but see the results). As a goon shows up, Lady Murasaki suddenly stabs that man in the throat, killing him (with very bloody results). Hannibal then bites down into the first man's cheek, ripping out flesh and leaving a gaping and bloody wound. We later see Hannibal with blood around his mouth. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A Nazi has a bad attitude toward various Jews, telling his minions to dispose of one (we hear the sound of that man being shot to death off camera). Another tells another Jew, "Why don't you show us your d*ck?" and starts to undo the man's pants as another has him around the neck and a gun is held to the victim's head (we don't see any nudity). Grutas and his men are opportunists who rob places and people during the war. They also take Hannibal and Mischa hostage, eventually killing and eating the girl when there's no more food. Later, years after the war, they're still involved in criminal activities, including running some sort of slave prostitution ring. Some bullies are mean to Hannibal in an orphanage, and when one comes at him, Hannibal stabs the teen in the hand with a fork. A butcher makes a lewd and crude remark to Lady Murasaki, asking if her "p*ssy" runs crossways. He then pats her on her clothed butt. That same butcher refers to Lady Murasaki as being Japanese. That initially seems like a cultural insult since the actress playing the part is Chinese, but we then learn that the character is indeed supposed to be Japanese. Rather then turn him in for murdering a butcher, Lady Murasaki takes the man's severed head and places it outside the police station as Hannibal is being interrogated, all to make it seem like Hannibal couldn't be the killer. We see sex slaves being put on Grutas' boat against their will. One of his cohorts then manhandles one of those women. There's talk of the Nuremberg trials and acid being poured down the throat of a witness to prevent them from testifying against Grutas and the others. Grutas grabs a woman by the face, but tells her he won't hit her again. We see that the villains have Lady Murasaki, and Grutas tells her (referring to Hannibal), "Speak to your little f*ck-boy." A villain licks Lady Murasaki's face, kisses her against her will, and then licks his finger that he then puts down toward her covered crotch (we don't see the point of contact there). Nothing else happens as Hannibal takes care of that man in a violent fashion. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful, or scary to some viewers, especially younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. A Russian tank causes some property damage and then points its cannon at Hannibal's forest house, with the crew ordering the adults out so that they can get water for the tank. Just then, a German fighter plane approaches and strafes the ground, hitting various members of Hannibal's family. The Russians fire back with machine guns, with the gunner being shot to death, but the fighter is hit and crashes directly into the tank, resulting in a large explosion. Mischa then wants to approach, but Hannibal yells for her not to move as a belt of bullets is in a fire, resulting in various shells firing, nearly hitting Mischa as Hannibal runs to get her to safety. Grutas' men storm into young Hannibal's home and he tries to fend them off until Grutas shows up and aims his gun at the boy, telling him to stop. We later see that they have the children chained to prevent their escape. Grutas says they need to eat or die, and then looks at young Hannibal and Mischa. Some bullies are mean to Hannibal in an orphanage, and when one comes at him, Hannibal stabs the teen. That young man then locks Hannibal into a basement area, but Hannibal later escapes, finds him, and holds a small scythe near his throat as he sleeps. A teen is injured by a trap that Hannibal had set for him. Hannibal gets revenge on a much larger butcher who thinks he's going to rough up the young man. But Hannibal repeatedly slices the man with a samurai sword (across the gut, arm, back, etc.) with bloody results (especially the belly wound). We see blood from the man's mouth and then witness Hannibal decapitate the man (seen from a distance, but we see the head come off). Hannibal returns to the house in the woods where his sister was killed, and we see one of the original villains tailing him there. Hannibal finds a person's skull in the wreckage and then avoids the villain's attempt to hit him, followed by him striking that man twice. We see that Hannibal has a man tied to a tree with a rope that's wrapped around both and attached to a nearby horse. Hannibal greases the rope that's around the man's neck and then starts to lead the horse away, trying to get the man to give up information about his cohorts. He does as the rope tightens, but Hannibal then signals for the horse to continue. It does, and the man's blood splatters onto Hannibal's cheek as we hear the decapitation (but don't see it). Hannibal sees that a villain's young daughter is wearing Mischa's bracelet. He then entices that girl to come over to his table in a restaurant, but doesn't do anything to her. A villain sneaks into a medical building, hoping to kill Hannibal. He carries a gun, but Hannibal stabs him in the neck with a syringe. Moments later, we see that Hannibal has that man in some sort of large, liquid-filled vat along with several dead bodies. As Popil enters the building and slowly looks around, Hannibal closes the top of that vat, meaning the villain will drown (we see him trying to get air from what little is left in there, as well as a dead body near him). Hannibal holds a gun on a villain and then pours something into the bathtub the man's in, threatening to set that liquid on fire. But some of villain's men then grab and disarm Hannibal, allowing the villain to get out and hold Hannibal by the head as he prepares to kill him. Just then, something Hannibal earlier set up drips acid or something similar onto a boiler, thus causing an explosion in the building that knocks out the power. There's struggling between Hannibal and the men before he escapes, while the villain shoots a woman dead. Hannibal fights with a villain, stabbing a cooking prong into the man who then throws Hannibal onto a table. Hannibal then holds a gun on that man before placing it on a hot griddle, tempting the villain to pick it up. The man tries to, but Hannibal then jams a knife up through the man's chin, twists it, and then gives it another thrust so that the end of the blade pops out of the top of the man's head (all with bloody results). Hannibal opens a door into a man, knocking him off a boat that's docking. Another man tries to save the first, but the boat ends up crushing that man against the dock (we don't see the actual death). A villain shoots Hannibal in the back, seemingly paralyzing him. But we then see that the bullet actually struck a long blade Hannibal had hidden there. The villain then pulls a switchblade, licks Lady Murasaki's face, kisses her against her will, and then licks his finger that he then puts down toward her covered crotch (we don't see the point of contact there). Hannibal then cuts the man's Achilles tendons, sending him to the floor. As that man reaches for his gun, Hannibal shoves some furniture at him, crushing the man's hand. He then proceeds to cut into the man's chest at various points and then stabs the knife down into his arm, pinning it to the floor (we don't see the impact, but see the results). As a goon shows up, Lady Murasaki suddenly stabs that man in the throat, killing him (with very bloody results). Hannibal then bites down into the first man's cheek, ripping out flesh and leaving a gaping and bloody wound. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Rifles/Tanks/Fighter Plane/Bombs/Samurai sword/Knife/Switchblade: Seen and/or used to threaten, wound and/or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You should f*ck one to see for yourself," "Speak to your little f*ck-boy," "Every f*cking thing," "Why don't you show us your d*ck?" "You inquired about her p*ssy" "Pissed," "The butcher was like butter," "Lazy bastard," "Where the hell is..?" and "Balls" (testicles). Some of Hannibal's methods of killing people might be enticing for some troubled kids to try to imitate. JUMP SCENES Some of the sudden, violent deaths might startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 3 "f" words (2 used sexually), 2 slang terms for female genitals ("p*ssy"), 1 for male ones ("d*ck") and 1 hell. SEX/NUDITY A Nazi tells a Jewish man, "Why don't you show us your d*ck?" and starts to undo the man's pants as another has him around the neck and a gun is held to the victim's head (we don't see any nudity). A butcher makes a lewd and crude remark to Lady Murasaki, asking if her "p*ssy" runs crossways. He then pats her on her clothed butt. The above butcher finds Hannibal waiting for him, with the young man telling him about Lady Murasaki, "You inquired about her p*ssy." The butcher then says that Japanese "p*ssy" runs crossways, and that Hannibal should "f*ck one" to see for himself. Lady Murasaki shows some cleavage. We see sex slaves being put on Grutas' boat against their will. One of his cohorts then manhandles one of those women. Lady Murasaki and Hannibal briefly kiss (clothed) near a bathtub, but he then walks away. We see one of Grutas' sex slaves shaving his chest as he sits in a bathtub (she's clothed). When he later gets out of the tub, we see him with a towel around his waist. A miscellaneous woman shows cleavage. We see that the villains have Lady Murasaki, and Grutas tells her (referring to Hannibal), "Speak to your little f*ck-boy." A villain licks Lady Murasaki's face, kisses her against her will, and then licks his finger that he then puts down toward her covered crotch (we don't see the point of contact there). Nothing else happens as Hannibal takes care of that man in a violent fashion. SMOKING Grutas smokes a few times, as do some of his henchmen and a number of miscellaneous characters. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Hannibal and Mischa see their parents killed in a small battle scene (with the mother dying in the boy's arms). Hannibal sees some wolves nearly feed on his dead parents' frozen bodies (he throws rocks to scare them off). We see a heavily stylized view of Hannibal's nightmare about Grutas and his men grabbing Mischa and taking her out (to kill and then eat her). During that, Hannibal bites Grutas on the hand, followed by some struggling. Lady Murasaki states that her husband (Hannibal's uncle) died a year ago. Popil states that he lost his family in the war, just like Hannibal. We see Hannibal burying a few pieces of his long dead sister's skeletal remains, including her small skull. Hannibal sees that a villain's young daughter is wearing Mischa's bracelet. We hear that Lady Murasaki lost her entire family in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Hannibal delivers a bloody bag to a villain, making that man think it's his daughter's head (but it's just a raw roast). Hannibal accuses a villain of eating his sister, with that man then saying that Hannibal unknowingly did so as well (in some stew the villains fed him). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Psychopaths and what turns them into such people. Revenge. Cannibalism. WWII. War criminals and those who pursue them. The comment that memory is like a knife in that it can hurt. Rather then turn him in for murdering a butcher, Lady Murasaki takes the man's severed head and places it outside the police station as Hannibal is being interrogated, all to make it seem like Hannibal couldn't be the killer. A war criminal asks Popil where the police were when the Jewish children were being put on trucks to be taken off to their deaths. We hear that Lady Murasaki lost her entire family in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Taxidermy. VIOLENCE War-based explosions go off around Lector Castle in WWII, with Hannibal's father rushing everyone out to get them to safety. A Nazi has a bad attitude toward various Jews, telling his minions to dispose of one (we hear the sound of that man being shot to death off camera). Another tells another Jew, "Why don't you show us your d*ck?" and starts to undo the man's pants as another has him around the neck and a gun is held to the victim's head (we don't see any nudity). A Russian tank causes some property damage and then points its cannon at Hannibal's forest house, with the crew ordering the adults out so that they can get water for the tank. Just then, a German fighter plane approaches and strafes the ground, hitting various members of Hannibal's family. The Russians fire back with machine guns, with the gunner being shot to death, but the fighter is hit and crashes directly into the tank, resulting in a large explosion. Mischa then wants to approach, but Hannibal yells for her not to move as a belt of bullets is in a fire, resulting in various shells firing, nearly hitting Mischa as Hannibal runs to get her to safety. Grutas shoots an injured Nazi in the head (we don't see the actual impact, but do see the resultant small hole there). Bombs drop and explode, tanks fire their guns, and more war related violence occurs. Grutas nearly hits one of his own men with a hatchet. Some bullies are mean to Hannibal in an orphanage, and when one comes at him, Hannibal stabs the teen in the hand with a fork. We see a heavily stylized view of Hannibal's nightmare about Grutas and his men grabbing Mischa and taking her out (to kill and then eat her). During that, Hannibal bites Grutas on the hand, followed by some struggling. A teen is injured by a trap that Hannibal had set for him. As Hannibal flees across a country's border, guards fire machine guns at him. A man holds a gun on Hannibal when he finds the young man on Lady Murasaki's property. Hannibal has another nightmare with more struggling, including Grutas hitting him on the arm. Hannibal accidentally cuts his finger, prompting Lady Murasaki to sew up the deep wound (seen in a gory close-up view). Hannibal attacks a butcher who made a lewd and crude remark to Lady Murasaki. He hits the man with a mallet and is pulled away, all as Lady Murasaki grabs another man by the neck to prevent him from hurting Hannibal. Hannibal gets revenge on a much larger butcher who thinks he's going to rough up the young man. But Hannibal repeatedly slices the man with a samurai sword (across the gut, arm, back, etc.) with bloody results (especially the belly wound). We see blood from the man's mouth and then witness Hannibal decapitate the man (seen from a distance, but we see the head come off). A war criminal is beheaded in a prison guillotine (we hear the sound, but don't see the act). We see a flashback to the war as bombs drop with resultant explosions, including causing part of the house to fall on one of Grutas' men, mortally wounding him (with a little bit of bloody results). Hannibal returns to the house in the woods where his sister was killed, and we see one of the original villains tailing him there. Hannibal finds a person's skull in the wreckage and then avoids the villain's attempt to hit him, followed by him striking that man twice. We see that Hannibal has a man tied to a tree with a rope that's wrapped around both and attached to a nearby horse. Hannibal greases the rope that's around the man's neck and then starts to lead the horse away, trying to get the man to give up information about his cohorts. He does as the rope tightens, but Hannibal then signals for the horse to continue. It does, and the man's blood splatters onto Hannibal's cheek as we hear the decapitation (but don't see it). We see sex slaves being put on Grutas' boat against their will. One of his cohorts then manhandles one of those women. A villain sneaks into a medical building, hoping to kill Hannibal. He carries a gun, but Hannibal stabs him in the neck with a syringe. Moments later, we see that Hannibal has that man in some sort of large, liquid-filled vat along with several dead bodies. As Popil enters the building and slowly looks around, Hannibal closes the top of that vat, meaning the villain will drown (we see him trying to get air from what little is left in there, as well as a dead body near him). We see a flashback to young Hannibal spitting in Grutas' face, with that man then hitting the boy. Grutas grabs a woman by the face, but tells her he won't hit her again. Hannibal holds a gun on a villain and then pours something into the bathtub the man's in, threatening to set that liquid on fire. But some of villain's men then grab and disarm Hannibal, allowing the villain to get out and hold Hannibal by the head as he prepares to kill him. Just then, something Hannibal earlier set up drips acid or something similar onto a boiler, thus causing an explosion in the building that knocks out the power. There's struggling between Hannibal and the men before he escapes, while the villain shoots a woman dead. Hannibal fights with a villain, stabbing a cooking prong into the man who then throws Hannibal onto a table. Hannibal then holds a gun on that man before placing it on a hot griddle, tempting the villain to pick it up. The man tries to, but Hannibal then jams a knife up through the man's chin, twists it, and then gives it another thrust so that the end of the blade pops out of the top of the man's head (all with bloody results). Hannibal opens a door into a man, knocking him off a boat that's docking. Another man tries to save the first, but the boat ends up crushing that man against the dock (we don't see the actual death). A villain shoots Hannibal in the back, seemingly paralyzing him. But we then see that the bullet actually struck a long blade Hannibal had hidden there. The villain then pulls a switchblade, licks Lady Murasaki's face, kisses her against her will, and then licks his finger that he then puts down toward her covered crotch (we don't see the point of contact there). Hannibal then cuts the man's Achilles tendons, sending him to the floor. As that man reaches for his gun, Hannibal shoves some furniture at him, crushing the man's hand. He then proceeds to cut into the man's chest at various points and then stabs the knife down into his arm, pinning it to the floor (we don't see the impact, but see the results). As a goon shows up, Lady Murasaki suddenly stabs that man in the throat, killing him (with very bloody results). Hannibal then bites down into the first man's cheek, ripping out flesh and leaving a gaping and bloody wound. A large boat explodes at night. It's implied that Hannibal kills another man. Reviewed February 5, 2007 / Posted February 9, 2007

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