'Manhunter: The Final Cut' (1986) Reflection
Release Date: 08/15/86 [Cinemas]
Genre: Crime. Mystery. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group.
The Verdict: A Must-See
As he prepares to shoot his long-awaited sequel to the 1995 crime epic Heat, director Michael Mann wants to set the record straight on a few of his past films. Just last week, he announced a new cut of his 2006 film Miami Vice, and just last month, a new cut of his moody crime thriller Manhunter was unleashed on the world.
Manhunter, Mann’s third feature, released in 1986, adapts Thomas Harris's Red Dragon. Detective Will Graham returns to the FBI to catch the serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy. As the killer eludes him, Will takes his mind to unimaginable places, even enlisting the help of cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. William Peterson leads the film as Will Graham, who is just as intense and unpredictable as the story that Manhunter holds. It’s an emotionally intense performance, bordering on a little cheesy, but it wins you over with Peterson’s passion in every line. You also have Brian Cox playing Dr. Lecter and Tom Noonan as the film’s killer. Both bring their own unique flavor of terror, especially Noonan, whose performances are what nightmares are made of.
This new cut isn’t anything radical like Scott’s final cut of Blade Runner. Here you have one scene towards the end omitted and swapped out for another - even then the consequences to the story here are minimal - and you also have a few lines that are redubbed for lines that are perhaps more cutting and effective. The main event for this new final cut is the new 4K Restoration, which is pristine and gorgeous. An exceptional grade enhances Dante Spinotti’s moody photography to new, striking levels, and it makes it feel like you’re watching the movie for the first time all over again.
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