Head-to-Head: Hannibal Lecter Onscreen (Brian Cox v.s. Anthony Hopkins v.s. Gaspard Ulliel v.s. Mads Mikkelsen)

Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecktor in 1986's 'Manhunter'

'Manhunter' is a decent enough thriller centered around Will Graham's (William Petersen) pursuit of the notorious serial killer the Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan). Like most of Michael Mann's filmography it's stylishly shot and creates a great atmosphere of dread, however it never quite reaches the heights of say, The Insider and Collateral due to the relative lack of depth both script and character-wise. It's still a good film and several moments have an incredible viscreal punch, most notably by Noonan's unsettling portrayal of the incredibly twisted yet tragic Tooth Fairy, and of course Brain Cox's scenes as Thomas Harris' notorious cannabalistic, brilliant serial killer.

It's interesting to note what actors Mann was looking at for the role of Lecktor before he settled on Cox. There was John Lithgow who could've gone either way as he was great in portraying a very particular brand of controlled psychopathy in 'Blow Out', but also might've hammed it up if given the wrong direction. Mandy Patinkin who I can't really comment on, and Brian Dennehey who actually, in my opinion, would've been very interesting to see, as an example of someone who's more often cast as the brutish type playing such a smooth operator. Well instead we got Cox, who actually probably gives a similar performance to what Dennehey would have given, as he gives a very blunt portrayal of a brilliant mind with a most incisive, unrelenting tongue.

As an actor I find Cox more often than not entertaining in his usual boisterous fashion, most notably in the likes of 'Flash Gordon' and 'Troy', and particularly his brilliantly unsettling performance as Hamlet's Father in the Branagh adaptation, where he was actually my second favourite out of the supporting cast after Jacobi. Here however, as a somewhat larger than life figure, he actually gives one of the quietest performances I've ever seen him give. Unlike Hopkins who I'll get down to in a bit, Cox's Lecktor is not as off-putting from the outset, coming across as a bit off a bored genius more than anything. The whole voice and mannerisms Cox uses are all quite effective because they show exactly why Graham is seeking Lecktor's help despite their task together.

As the scene progresses, Cox leaves hints here and there of the more chilling aspects of Lecktor beyond his intelligence. Mann's stylized direction I think kind of takes away from his performance a bit in his big scene, where he 'helps' Graham on his case. Nevertheless he's an effective enough presence in the moments where he gets to shine, and I do love the moment where he asks Graham for his phone number. It's both darkly funny and deeply chilling a moment by the two actors and Cox brings so much out of this moment with that look on his face that shows an outward confidence, and an inner depravity, to his relationship with Graham. All in all this is very solid, and occasionally great, work I could've gone for a lot more of.

Brian Cox in 'Manhunter': 4/5

Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter in 1991's 'Silence of the Lambs' 

I was surprised by how much I loved 'Silence of the Lambs' when I first saw it. Having never been a fan of Jodie Foster, Jonathan Demme, the whole genre as a whole and having a sort of tenative stance towards a film which had won Best Picture in one of the weakest years in film history, and watching Anthony Hopkins in a different mode to some of my favourite performances of his ('Remains of the Day' and 'The Elephant Man' where he's incredibly understated) in both. But yeah, I loved it back then, and if I don't love it quite as much upon re-watches I do stil like it a great deal. It's got a terrific sense of atmosphere and interesting script make it a throughly engaging watch, as do some of the marvellous performances on display. Demme's direction really does excel in some choice moments and maintains that very effective sense of realistic paranoia and dread, with just the right touch of playful Hammer Horror.

Now I must say that though this is a film that is strong in many respects, acting being its strongest; and despite the likes of Ted Levine and Scott Glenn giving very good performances and Foster giving a great one, Hopkins IS the whole film. I think the whole issue of him being lead or supporting, how much or how little screentime he has, is frankly quite irrelevant to the whole conversation, and I put him in lead simply because every time he's onscreen he completely dominates it, and whenever he's offscreen you still can't forget him. A lot of this is down to Hopkins' character creation, which technically is very actor-ly and yet feels frighteningly natural. The way he arches his eyes when he speaks unblinkingly, the way he stands and sits in a way that seems so comfortable for him and yet is so uncomfortable to watch, that purring voice that (according to Hopkins) is just a sublime mix of Katherine Hepburn's New England intonation and a Capote pitch; all just fits so well into what makes Lecter tick.

Technically speaking I would kind of agree with some of the critics of this performance in that his accent, whatever accent it is, is sort of all over the place, but do I really care? After all Hannibal Lecter is from no particular place, really. He's an otherworldly yet frighteningly present presence, and Hopkins with all his little oddities and tics makes Lecter an unforgettable creation right from the very start. One of the things I love about 'Silence of the Lambs' is that Lecter, despite being capable of the most vile and disgusting deeds, never really quite elicits the reactions an audience would expect. When he mentions he enjoyed a census taker's liver with som fava beans, and a nice chianti, Hopkins makes it sound almost eloquent (the Hepburn side coming out) and classy, before making that strange and disconcerting little puckering noise which is just so animalistic and raw. Hopkins with his performance is never playing it safe and as a result creates an incredible sense of tension in ever scene he's in, so unpredictable he is and yet how oddly charismatic he can be at the same time.

Before this film Hopkins was never really thought of as a particularly intimidating physical performer, and indeed his usual screen presence preceding Silence pf the Lambs was more fitting to the refined, understated sort than being an actively menacing figure. It's incredible how Hopkins manages to mend Lecter's style and depravity so well together, then, in order to create this character who puts fear into the heart of others, sometimes without even moving a single inch. Even when constrained and masked, he can put so much grim power into his sexualised intimidation of a senator by just his voice and eyes, it's a brilliant dynamic that he settles upon with his victims. Hopkins never apologises for just how twisted Lecter is and instead chooses to revel in it all. He's having lots of fun and more importantly lets us in on it. Another thing I really like about Hopkins' portrayal is the slight comic bent he gives some scenes while remaining true to the original characterisation. He not so much winks to the audience in these clever moments but rather, Lecter winks to the audience; almost as if to show how far ahead of the game Lecter is, to the extent that he almost subconsciously breaks all the fourth walls down by how astutely aware of everything he is.

I'll get to Foster in a bit but it's amazing how in his brief screentime Hopkins manages such convincing relationships with all characters who interact with Lecter. With the kindly prison guard Hopkins instills a bit of warmth, sort of the derogatory sort as is fitting for Lecter. With the infamous semen tossing prisoner, a brand of unsettlingly cold disgust. With Dr Chilton, a seething hatred. And with Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling the two are simply transcendent in the scenes where they discuss both past and present. Hopkins is brilliant in these scenes as he works so well with Foster in generating a sense of both characters' histories so vividly. Even when he's silently listening, he just adds to the scene so much by that gaze that both twistedly invites, and bares into, your soul. I should note that I have to seen 'Red Dragon' or 'Hannibal' which apparently are much lesser variations of this great performance, so I should probably check them out. Nevertheless, this is an amazing piece of extreme acting by Anthony Hopkins that never feels like it. , my second favourite of his after 'The Remains of the Day' and just so magnificently paints a portrait of a most fascinating fiend.

Anthony Hopkins in 'Silence of the Lambs': 5/5

Gaspard Ulliel played Hannibal Lecter in 'Hannibal Rising

I don't actively hate 'Hannibal Rising' as much as some seem to, but having said that, it is a deeply flawed film in terms of direction, never really figuring out whether it wants to be a straight horror flick, or something 'deeper' with more meaning and emotional heft. Frankly I think sticking with the former would have worked out better. Some of the performances are also uncomfortably cartoonish, Rhys Ifans in particular, who I usually like as an actor, but have no idea what he was going for here. Also the whole concept of an origin story for Lecter just doesn't really work. It works far better to have the mystery to his past be concealed and revealed in brief flashes, than to construct a whole film around it; implication, I've always thought, is the best route to go with such incredibly iconic characters, and not the riskier route of a retrospective prequel which sets itself up for disappointment, which is why frankly I've never been a fan of the Star Wars prequels, or would not really flock to see an origin story for Atticus Finch (which reminds me I must read Go Set a Watchman).

Having said all this though, Ulliel isn't bad at all as this young Lecter. He has the right look of determination on his face, and a pulsating desire for revenge that is quite palatable in every act of violence, each menacing pursuit he undertakes. The film doesn't give him an awful lot to work with outside of that as, even as a lead, Ulliel's Lecter remains pretty paper-thin in most respects. He's traumatised by a childhood incident, and death of a beloved sibling, and from there on according to the film, it's just one small step into full-blown bloodthirstiness. Ulliel to his credit actually does quite a bit to make more out of this as he remembers to at the same time, depict Lecter's burgeoning intellect by the increasing confidence and self-assurance he seems to have with each murder. Also I would say he, and the film, verges on becoming fairly intriguing in his scenes with Gong Li's Lady Murasaki. The two actually have a rather interesting sort of chemistry; there's a hint of love that's unsettlingly driven by a rather dark, brooding Byronic passion by Ulliel. The film could have afforded to have a lot more of this sort of interplay, that really was the meat of Hopkins and Cox's performances, and made them all the more compelling for it. Ulliel is never bad, in fact he's consistently good throughout the film, but is never really given much material to go beyond just being the best part of a bad film.

Gaspard Ulliel in 'Hannibal Rising': 3.5/5

Mads Mikkelsen played/plays/may continue playing Hannibal Lecter in 'Hannibal' (2013 - ???)

So yeah, I'm a bit confused as to what exactly is happening with the 'Hannibal' television series. Apparently it's ending in a week's time? And it's being cancelled, so frankly everything is feeling rather rushed. I haven't actually finished the series thus far yet but I decided, you know what, might as well just get into it. Anyway 'Hannibal' is a rather effective television series that, while I never really found myself loving, was consistently fascinated by. A problem I do have with it is that it's storylines are sometimes a bit sprawling and touch upon a tad too many uninteresting/poorly acted side characters, also there is the occasional awkwardness of the scripts to try and cram a bit too much in too little time (although judging by the current situation, it's probably not the creators' fault). These reservations are however, more often than not cast aside when I examine the merits of the series. It's beautifully shot, making use of music and cinematography beautifully to create such a chilling atmosphere, and thankfully its principals are all thoroughly well-acted. Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford is consistently solid and, when given more to do than just exposition, delivers some of the best work in his career. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as a rather twisted psychotherapist of Hannibal's, and the likes of Eddie Izzard, Michael Pitt, and Lara Jean Chorostecki, to name but a few, really excel in their recurring roles. Then there's Hugh Dancy as Will Graham who is far surpasses the already good William Petersen, a very solid and incredibly sympathetic avatar into this strange world.

There's a massive build-up to Mikkelsen's first appearance in the series and boy is it marvellous when he first comes into view, preparing a meal. Mikkelsen was perfectly cast in that he's an actor who's just intrinsically enigmatic with that unique look of his and his marvellously Machievallian intonations. I haven't even seen the best of his filmography yet and his terrific performance in this series just compels me more and more to check them out as even as a silent figure, Mikkelsen exudes such class and menace already, that you could take just several reaction shots of his throughout the series and craft a whole intriguing narrative around them already. An important thing to note about this portrayal in contrast to Cox and Hopkins' is that we're meeting Lecter at a very different point in his life. Far from being contained and in containment he's free to do as he pleases, and Mikkelsen takes this in stride with his performance, making Lecter into even more of a conniseur and hedonist, exuding oundles of charisma in his performance and making Lecter one suave guy indeed.

This version of Lecter is a bit of a troll. He likes messing around with people, like Hopkins' portrayal, but Mikkelsen differentiates his approach a bit by making it less playful and somehow, sincere. For example he shows much pleasure in messing around with the authorities and Graham, and causing excessive bloodshed for all involved, and Mikkelsen is marvellously understated and yet chilling in both showing this depraved enjoyment in fucking about with the system; and yet when Graham and not he, is incarcerated for his crimes, there's a hint of remorse and sincerity to Mikkelsen's portrayal that one quite get the hang on. Is it genuine, or is it all just a facade? Mikkelsen never quite gives the game away but instead remains deliciously ambiguous throughout. It's frankly quite frightening how even the omniscient audience is trolled into feeling affection and fondness for this fellow before Mikkelsen tears this all apart by his most vicious acts, and even then we find it hard to completely despise him. In particular, when he apologises to one of his victims, that he 'couldn't protect you in this life', Mikkelsen finds the perfect balance between cold calculation and genuine warmth and affection.

I will say though that as the series progresses and he gradually begins to lose the 'mask', Mikkelsen's performance does become slightly less complex, but no less interesting. Largely because those qualities aforementioned are still present even as he becomes increasingly more overt a villain. It's impossible not to feel excited whenever Mikkelsen's onscreen as he's electrifying in every choice moment, and when he really starts getting a kick out of the grotesqueness of his plans, the series hits its highest heights. More importantly he never loses sight of his original conception of Lecter as a soft-spoken manipulator, resisting the urge to chew the scenery, and masterfully underplaying in particular his scenes with Dancy, where both actors wonderfully share and deconstruct the dynamic of mentor and protogee. This is a terrific performance by Mikkelsen that is pitch perfect for his series, and really makes this Lecter a most perplexing, unforgettable figure.

Mads Mikkelsen in 'Hannibal': 5/5

Final Ranking:

1. Anthony Hopkins in 'Silence of the Lambs': 5/5

2. Mads Mikkeslen in 'Hannibal': 5/5

3. Brian Cox in 'Manhunter': 4/5

4. Gaspard Ulliel in 'Hannibal Rising': 3.5/5

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