A lot of fans of Silence of the Lambs really hate this film--I'm not one of them; really for lack of a better way to put it, it think it has "Old World charm." Not that I think dislike for this film has anything to do with Ridley Scott as a film maker, rather I think people just hate the way Thomas Harris chose to portray Lecter in his follow-up to Lambs almost as a sophisticated European revenge force.
I do have criticisms of the film; I didn't like the way Hopkins basically held taking on the role of Lecter again hostage. He stipulated that if Jodi Foster didn't want to reprise her role as Clarice Starling (and why didn't she???!!) then he wouldn't agree to play Hannibal the Cannibal if Scott didn't cast Julianne Moore in the role. She in turn stipulated that she wouldn't take the part if the script wasn't re-written to exclude Starling running off with her cannibal. I think all of the weakens the story and the film, and I think she was just plain wrong for the role.
Having, said that, Scott does make the most of what he's been confined to using. The choice of Gary Oldman as the disgustingly disfigured Mason Verger is brilliant. Slovenian actor Zeljko Ivanek is good in any role that he takes. Even Ray Liotta, who is a consummate over-actor works, I think. It's a mixed bag. But it is beautifully shot.
Here's the original trailer.
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