Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

I was fortunate enough to be living (studying and working) in Florence, Italy, during the spring of 2001 when Hannibal (2001) was released.

I saw the film in a theatre there with plenty of expats. But being in Florence, where the film is set for much of the story, certainly added some flavor to the experience. Looking back, that time period was essentially the most recent golden age of being in Europe as an American, since it was pre-9/11 (by just a few months) and Italy was still using the Italian lira currency, a much friendlier-on-the-wallet alternative to the Dollar than the Euro. 

Hannibal was the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which swept the major categories at the Academy Awards in 1992 and is still referenced quite a bit to this day. At first blush, that seems to be an impossible act to follow, especially considering Jodie Foster did not sign on to reprise her role as Special Agent Clarice Starling. 

However, Director Ridley Scott stepped in to the (recently deceased) Jonathan Demme's shoes and added Scott's stylistic edge to many scenes in Italy and then back in the U.S.. Moreover, Hans Zimmer's score and David Mamet's adapted script all put this sequel over the top to be well worth a viewing.  Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore (as Starling), Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta, Frankie Fasion, Zeljko Ivanek, and Giancarlo Giannini all headline the talented cast.

Ultimately, though, Hopkins and his brilliance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter shine through again.

While a television series of the same name as this film ran a few years back on NBC (it was canceled in 2015 for low ratings) with some fine actors in its own right, the reality is that Hopkins owns this character through and though. It will be in the first few sentences of his obituary and he will deservedly be remembered for it for many decades to come. Dr. Hannibal Lecter is arguably the most brilliant antagonist in cinematic history, and he clearly makes what otherwise could be decent-but-forgettable films into exciting masterpieces.