When it comes to psychopaths, police investigators, psychoanalysts and sociologists have long pondered what makes them tick. Are they simply evil and were born bad, or did one or more circumstances in their past and/or present cause them to snap?
The answers not only can be enlightening for helping them and others of their ilk, but they can also be an unnerving and haunting look into the human psyche. After all, they sometimes show that some humans aren't that far off from animal violence, or that any one of us might behave the same way if the same scenario had happened to us.
That was part of the brilliance of Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" where Jodie Foster's green FBI agent tried to delve into the twisted but sophisticated malevolence of serial killer Hannibal Lecter (terrifically embodied by Anthony Hopkins). Considering the box office and critical success, it wasn't surprising that both a prequel ("Red Dragon," the remake of 1986's "Manhunter") and sequel (2001's "Hannibal") would follow.
With Hopkins apparently retiring his take on the character after three goes at it, those responsible for the next installment go way back to show us how it all began. Thus, "Hannibal Rising" -- based on novelist Thomas Harris' novel of the same name -- begins in WWII when Hannibal was a young boy who witnessed the horrors of war, and specifically what occurs when a band of hungry opportunists run out of food.
Yes, with mom and pop killed in a mini-battle between a German Stuka and a Russian tank crew (in a surprisingly effective war sequence that shows off the film's handsome production design and decent budget), there's no one to prevent young Mischa from becoming breakfast, lunch and dinner for the war criminals.
Scarred by that and unknowingly participating in the cannibalism, young Hannibal flees to post-war France where he takes up with his widowed Japanese aunt (played, oddly enough, by Chinese actress Gong Li) who teaches him a thing or two about cultural sophistication and, oh yeah, the efficient use of samurai swords.
With a misogynistic butcher providing the necessary jump-start catalyst, Hannibal -- now played by Gaspard Ulliel, best known for appearing in "A Very Long Engagement" -- gets a taste for both revenge and blood. What follows is the actor doing something of a Hopkins' Lecter meets Chuck Bronson's Paul "Death Wish" Kersey combo as he goes on a vendetta to filet those who wronged him and his sister in the past.
Those expecting or hoping for the cinematic splendor of Demme's film or the decent effectiveness of the subsequent sequel and prequel will likely be disappointed. Of course, much of that has to do with Hopkins' absence. While he didn't originate the role (Brian Cox did that in "Manhunter"), he's certainly made it his own, and thus comparisons for Ulliel are inevitable. Although he isn't attempting a straight (if younger) impersonation of Hopkins' take on the character, the young actor obviously plays off the mannerisms, vocal delivery and overall eruditeness that viewers now know so well.
Some will "enjoy" noting the similarities but they may distract others. I found the character's transformation from scarred boy to coolly menacing erudition a bit too sudden and jarring, but I suppose director Peter Webber ("Girl With a Pearl Earring") could only use so many training montages with Li's character to create the necessary switch.
Stripped off its fat and boiled down its basics (sorry, could resist the cannibalism symbology), the plot - stemming from the screenplay also penned by Harris -- is just a revenge flick, albeit one involving a certain, sadistic cinematic flair. Yes, it's gross and gory, but the biggest problem is that we don't really care.
Certainly not about Lecter as we know he's going to survive to appear in the later films, and despite a competent performance, Ulliel doesn't make the protagonist as creepily engaging as his more accomplished predecessor. And since the victims -- header by Rhys Ifans' malevolent and evil leader -- aren't remotely sympathetic (they being cannibalistic war criminals), there's no worry about them.
A subplot featuring Dominic West as a war crimes inspector who's suspicious of Lecter offing his targets doesn't really add much to the film in terms of interest or suspense (again, we know the title character will be okay), which also holds true for Li and her character (despite her being kidnapped by the thugs late in the film).
Filled with too many heavily stylized flashbacks (of the younger sister being prepped for dinner) and a less than completely engaging or believable transformation of the Lector character from innocent war victim to cultured killer, the film may work as a straightforward revenge flick. Yet, as an installment in the series, it feels like lukewarm and somewhat stale leftovers. "Hannibal Rising" rates as a 4 out of 10.
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