HANNIBAL RISING
This overlooked and unfairly panned prequel to the Silence of the Lambs series deserves serious re-consideration on DVD. While the film does not have Anthony Hopkins - this origin story portrays Hannibal as a child and a young man - it does have a very creepy looking young actor to play the title role. “Hannibal Rising” has a strong storyline that actually has you feeling sorry for the future sociopath and at times rooting for him to succeed in his quest for revenge. This film is able to re-create a similar sense of dread felt in the other Hannibal stories without becoming too gruesome and gory.
Hannibal Lecter’s story begins in Lithuania in 1944 during World War II. The Nazis have arrived at Hannibal’s village, committing many atrocities with the assistance of local profiteers. The Soviets arrive shortly thereafter, pushing the Germans out of the region with most of the Lecter family killed in the crossfire. Hannibal and his younger sister survive, but a band of rogues takes both captive after storming the family home by force.
Years later, Hannibal – as a young man - still has excruciating nightmares about what occurred during the war, and when he learns the identities of the Lithuanian men, he pursues them in vengeance, taking him to France, Lithuania and Canada in his quest.
Thomas Harris, the writer of the book series, drafted the screenplay for the movie, creating an unusual story that operates more like a character study than a thriller. While Hannibal and the other deviants in the story receive thorough treatment, the few good characters are given short shrift. Without an adequate foil as a counter-point to the evil of Hannibal - Inspector Popil, a war crimes investigator, is not even in the same league as the young Lecter - the story is not as good as it could have been.
“Hannibal Rising” could have also used some star power so an unknown in the title role did not have to carry the whole film. Regardless, the symbolism of a Japanese mask Hannibal tries on to the wild boars that figure into his life will sufficiently satisfy the fans of the earlier movies. The director even used some restraint in Hannibal’s connection with his uncle’s Japanese wife, taking the time to explain the changing nature of their relationship.
It is interesting how people are enthralled with villains and what causes them to be monsters. Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers fascinate us, oftentimes more than the heroes of the story do. The back-stories rarely begin with a bad seed; instead, the villains are mostly portrayed as products of their environment, created by outside events rather than being born that way. This is the case with Hannibal Lecter – while he is raised in a loving family, he cuts himself off from his own humanity after surviving the atrocities that cause the loss of those he cared for.
“Hannibal Rising” picks up steam at the end, transforming into an action thriller as Hannibal faces the boss of the rogues who kidnapped him and his sister during the war. There is even a surprise revelation at the end of the story – which I won’t mention here - that further illuminates the main character. While not as good as “Silence of the Lambs” and “Red Dragon,” “Hannibal Rising” is an improvement over “Hannibal,” using appropriate restraint in portraying the youth of a modern-day monster.
Rated R for strong grisly violent content and some language/sexual references.
