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Manhunter (1986)
PRESS
1986
Hollywood Reporter vol.293 no.12 (8 August
1986) pp.3, 35 (USA)
"Mann can't seem to decide how to pitch most of his scenes, and
his use of wide-screen framing constantly remind one that he has been
toiling in television for the past few years. He does employ some of
his favourite stylistic devices (pastel highlight shades, slow motion,
Goddard-styled editing), but these do little to further our understanding
of the story or the images, rather seeming like empty exercises in excess."
- from a review by Dennis Fischer
Variety 13 August 1986 p.11 (USA)
"Manhunter is an unpleasantly gripping thriller
that runs ones noses in a sick criminal mentality for two hours. Michael
Mann's nerve-janging style builds up an unhealthy head of dread, result
if which is that the viewer is kept constantly on edge [...] Although
the opening hour could have stood a little pruning, Mann's grip on this
material is tight and sure [...] In the end, Mann's virtues and excesses
more or less balance each other out, and the cast helps out. Peterson
[...] a strong, essentially sympathetic presence [...] Tom Noonan cuts
a massive swathe as the killer [...] Brian Cox has some delicious moments
as a brilliant, depraved criminal." - from a review by Cort
1988
Time Out no.912 (10 February 1988) p.34
(UK)
"The most exciting American thriller [...] for several years [...]
Potentially nonsense, but Mann makes it work - and how! - meanwhile
creating the most genuinely nasty atmosphere of any movie in a long
time." - from a review by Waldo
1989
Films and Filming no.412 (February 1989) pp.34,35 (UK)
"Manhunter is a thriller which resolutely
refuses to conform to the action genre sound of its title. Michael Mann's
film is essentially a mental rather than a physical pursuit of cop after
killer. It sustains an unsettling atmosphere at the expense of character
and plot. [...] For all its shortcomings, Manhunter
achieves moments of genuine unease, Its style seems calculated defiantly
to alienate rather than involve, which makes it one of the more interesting
thrillers of recent years." - from a review by Ian Johns
Time Out no.965 (15 February 1989) pp.20-21 (UK)
"Manhunter is more than welcome: a movie that makes your
soul shudder at the horror of the human capacity for evil, that provides
a genuine visceral punch while never for one moment insulting the intelligence
of its audience [...] For a movie that deals with such potentially sensationalist
material, Manhunter is itself strangely humane. Its
mood is oppressively menacing throughout, but Manhunter
refrains, until the very end, from the graphic depiction of violent
acts." - from a review by Geoff Andrews
Time Out no.966 (22 February 1989) p.33 (UK)
"A splendidly stylish and oppressive thriller [...] The
plot is complex and ingenious [...] Manhunter creates a terrifyingly
menacing atmosphere without resorting to the graphic depiction of the
seriously nasty killings [...] It's certainly one of the most impressive
American thrillers of the late 80s; and it achieves the impossible in
finding superbly appropriate images to accompany Iron Butterfly's awful
'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'" - from an illustrated review by Geoff Andrews
City Limits no.386 (23 February 1989) p.19 (UK)
"Thomas Harris' thriller is slightly stranded by its adaptation,
but the performances without exception are spot on." - from a review
by Kim Newman
1999
Radio Times 25 September - 1 October 1999
p.65 (UK)
"Whether or not, as some contend, this is a better movie that The
Silence of the Lambs, the second and more celebrated film adaptation
of novelist Thomas Harris's source material, it is undoubtedly a gripping
psycho- chiller...Strong performances, especially from Brian
Cox as Hannibal Lecktor, combine with
a clever plot and top-notch direction... to produce an atmospheric and
arresting thriller" - from a review by Peter Freedman
2000
Evening Standard 5 June 2000 p.53 (UK)
"Michael Mann's stark debut outing for Hannibal Lektor, and this
is even better than Silence
of the Lambs. [...] Mann's use of ultra-modernist architecture creates
a haunting backdrop, with Lektor, dressed all in white in a white cell,
instills a disturbingly clinical quality. Taut, with plenty of surprises,
this is one of the finest thrillers from the Eighties. It grips you
by the throat and barely lets you breathe till the terrifying finale."
- from the illustrated review Film of the Night by Nigel Pizey
Last Updated:
24 February, 2009
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