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"WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2001-9 Disappointing Hannibal lacks subtlety of original SCREENING ROOM By John Foote HANNIBAL (Ye) Directed by Ridley Scott ' On video and DVD Aug. 12 Hannibal seems to me to be a terribly excessive film, from the opening title sequence when the pigeons are choreo- graphed to look like Lecter, through to the final sequence aboard an airplane that may turn stomachs. Sadly, that seems to be what director Ridley Scott wanted to do with this film: upset the viewer. There are unbearably violent sequences in this film involving killer pigs, brains, and shards of glass that will no doubt repel some audience mem- bers; the sequences are meant to shock, but are so grotesque they only manage to become gross-outs. Remember the first film? The Silence of the Lambs was a masterpiece of subtle terror, because it showed us very little. The build up to Hannibal Lecter's first appearance was incredibly tense, and when we finally saw him, he was every bit the intellectual madman we anticipated. We did not need to see him killing, because the explanations of what he was 'and what he had done were so crystal clear and vividly acted by those in the film. Something else: there was fear in Scott Glenn's eyes and voice when he was warning Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) not fo get personal with Lecter. He knew bet- ter than anyone what Lecter was capable of, by simple suggestion. The Silence of the Lambs won five Academy Awards including best picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay, only the third film in history to sweep the major awards. Anthony Hopkins was on-screen a scant 30 minutes over the course of the two-hour film, yet collected an Oscar for his brilliant, terrifying performance. There was no excess violence in the film, only fleeting glimpses of what was being done or explanations of the violence occurring. This new film has enough violence for both pictures, and in fact flashes back to the first film to show a violent act. Hannibal is of course the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, set 10 years after the first film. In that time Lecter has elud- ed the FBI, Clarice Starling has watched her career falter, and a former victim of Lecter's is hot on his trail, hoping for a grisly revenge. a Now in Florence, Italy, Lecter is recog nized by an ambitious policeman (Giancarlo Gianninni) who smells reward money and begins the process of selling Lecter to Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), one of Lecter's victims who survived, but was left horribly mutilated. Clarice Starling is placed back on the case of Lecter after a public humiliation in which she killed a female drug lord holding a baby. Fascinated by Lecter, she begins to delve into the case to find him, though he brings back vivid and often unpleasant memories. After dispatching the Italian police offi- cer to a particularly grisly death, Lecter flees to America where he discusses with Starling getting back into the limelight. Caught unaware by Verger's henchmen, he is captured by the madman, who plans to feed the cannibalistic killer to wild pigs trained especially for this event. It becomes Starling's mission to stop the killing from happening, but what occurs breaks all the rules between FBI and fugi- tives. Anthony Hopkins is a genuinely great actor, so beloved by audiences that they were actually rooting for him as Lecter. My problem with that is, when did the mani- acal serial killer elevate to movie hero? Hannibal Lecter is a brilliant, cold-blood- ed killer, not a hero, though in this film he is portrayed as much a victim as those he has killed. More to this, he is Superman, the man is indestructible. I can under- stand an incredible intuition, even believe people with that exist, but my God, how many traps or set-ups can he escape? Hopkins brings back the velvet-voiced killer with much charm, but is saddled with a screenplay that never works. Part of the beauty of the first film was the chem- istry between Hopkins and co-star Jodie Foster, and while that magic could indeed happen between Hopkins and Julianne Moore (Foster's replacement), the chance is never offered. The two do not share the screen until the film's last quarter, and though there are sparks, there is not the connection that was there between Foster and Hopkins. As for the sympathy we feel for Lecter, that is Hopkins' great gift as an actor. Remember, he allowed us to feel sympa- thy for Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone's masterpiece Nixon (1995). Julianne Moore is among the finest actresses working in movies, as her per- formances in Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), and The End of the Affair (1999) attest. Her work as Starling is fine, as she resists the trap of portraying the character in a Jodie Foster-esque manner. The problem with her role is that it is not well written, and there is little for her to do except be persecuted by her cutthroat and crooked boss Ray Liotta, or stare at a computer screen. Her moments with Lecter burn with quiet intensity, but they come too late in the film and are far too short. Ridley Scott was at the helm of last year's Best Picture winner Gladiator (2000) which, like Hannibal, was bathed in blood-letting. He 'is a fine director, responsible for such dark fare as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), artd Thelma and Louise (1991). Who can explain his sudden departure from subtle film mak- ing into violence? He is not incompetent, but perhaps focusing more on what the producers think he needs than what he wants to make. Hannibal was among the most hotly: anticipated films of the year. Sadly, it is dismal failure. dB. 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