Anyone got Manhunter DC

ChrisDurano

Saw it once at Best Buy....haven't seen it since. Its a double disc and THX remastered. If anyone has it, please let me know how it is (sound and picture, I've seen it quite a few times) and where I can find it. I'd like to get it since there remaking the movie. TYA!;)

Systems

I think I've seen it at Blockbuster. Can you special order it from them?

Billm57

the directors cut is the second disc in the the case..it comes witht he theatrical cut..i hear that the transfer is ****..you are better off getting the single disc theatrical cut

ChrisDurano

Good tip.......thnx for the replies. I can find that one at most stores. Just wasn't sure if it was worth spending the extra 10 bucks for the other disc.

Micah Cohen

From thedigitalbits.com:

>>
Anchor Bay is releasing this film on DVD in 2 versions - a 2-disc limited edition (which contains the theatrical cut as well as a new director's cut) and a single-disc (of just the theatrical version). The theatrical version of Manhunter is presented in anamorphic widescreen (framed at 2.35:1), and thankfully looks better than I was anticipating. The overall presentation is a bit on the hazy side, but the transfer is damn good given the age and relative obscurity of the film. Many scenes exhibit impressive detail and clarity, and color fidelity is better than I've ever seen it. While black levels may not be up to par with newer transfers, they're still good here and compression artifacting was never a problem. On the other hand, the Director's Cut of Manhunter (found on the second disc of the limited edition) is just terrible. The anamorphic transfer is pervasively soft, with no detail or clarity, and colors have an obvious red push. It's hazy, dull and looks no better than a discarded Beta master that Mann might have found in his office. The picture is virtually unwatchable, which is a real shame - especially considering that the Director's Cut is the preferred version of the film.
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I watched the more-watchable version, and I must say that this is a great film. It works, as cheesy as it is; like Hannibal says of Buffalo Bill, it's the fledgling beginning of a great thing. I would recommend that you watch this version, commit it to memory and then IGNORE the upcoming cheesy Hollywood money-grubbing remake in which a washed up Hopkins tries to play a younger Hannibal a la Brian Cox, who does a bang up creepy job here in MANHUNTER.

Friggin hollywood. Leave well enough alone!

MC

ChrisDurano

Great review Micah. What they should have done was make a movie about Will Graham and how he caught Hannibal, instead of doing a remake of Manhunter. I thought Manhunter was fantastic and so were the performances. Brian Cox played a great Hannibal and William Peterson rocked.

Micah Cohen

Yeah, I agree on both of those facts, about Will Peterson and Brian Cox. I'd even go so far as to say that Hopkins copied some of Cox's more creepy mannerisms, very effective. (No one touches Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal Lector, tho, IMO. It's nearly a perfect film, and he is perfect.)

The Thomas Harris books follow the same sort of trajectory: "Red Dragon" is really well done, "Silence" is nearly brilliant and "Hannibal" falls limp like a contractial obligation gone bad -- it's a bad bad book (and movie).

What they should have done is leave it all alone -- no more sequels and sequels of sequels and remakes. It's awful. Let me have one perfect film (SOTL) and one very good interesting film (MH), and leave it at that. End of story. Go on to some other subject. I've just about lost all respect for Anthony Hopkins. (A movie with Chris Rock?! What are you THINKING!?)

MC

DarqueKnight

I have the Anchor Bay Limited Edition that I bought from www.800.com just before they went belly up (and were bought out by Circunt City). I miss 800.com. They used to have some great DVD sales. Circunt City should have Manhunter in their stores or on their website.

Yeah, the Director's Cut pictur equality is really crappy. It looks like it was shot on cheap Wal-Mart brand video tape. I thought maybe the director wanted it to look that way because he was trying to convey some kind of dreamy, fantasy-like effect. I haven't watched the theatrical version disk. I assumed it was the same quality. Now that I've been tipped off, I'll give it a view just so I won't feel totally visually cheated. I liked the story, but the hazy image quality was distracting. I am a photographer and poor image quality really bothers me.:mad:

aaharvel

bump. watched this again today. Even with all the hammy 80's themes crawling over it, it's still a fantastic crime drama. Michael Mann utilizes lighting as thematic elements in Manhunter like no other movie i've seen.

I googled the soundtrack, as I thought some of the music was down right weird (in a good way). The soundtrack is EXTREMELY rare, but I managed to download off of Limewire my favorite tune of the movie - 'This Big Hush' by Shriekback. For anyone who hasn't heard this, i've posted it as the theme song to MySpace. Imo it's what "Goodbye Horses" from Silence Of The Lambs should have been.

Highly recommended flick. I say pass on the 2disc set and just get the single theatrical release for $7 at Circuit City/Best Buy. With the exception of the Lector casting (and that's entirely debatable), it's superior to Red Dragon in every way imaginable.

Sansui

First I got Manhunter (1986), then I read the book "Red Dragon", then in 2002 I got the movie "Red Dragon". After seeing Tom Noonan and Ralph Fiennes both playing Dolarhy, (with the book in mind) Fiennes didn't "hold a candle" to Noonan's performance. I felt the same way with Stephen Lang's performance of Lounds (1986) compared to Philip Hoffman's. For my money the 1986 version wins hands down. I just noticed that the DVD of Manhunter is THX. Now I know what movie I'll be watching next to test out my now speakers...