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RED DRAGON Manhunter, the 1986 adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon (and the first film to bring Hannibal Lecter to the screen), was directed by Michael Mann, a master visualist whose works (The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider) almost always shimmer with tasteful artistry. Red Dragon, on the other hand, is helmed by Brett Ratner, a more commercially mindful filmmaker whose past efforts (the Rush Hour pair, The Family Man) have exposed him as the sort of director who churns out product without bothering to give it his own distinct stamp. That Manhunter should remain the better movie should surprise no one, and yet, the contest is a lot closer than it would appear at first glance. Red Dragon works on its own terms, thanks largely to the efforts of scripter Ted Tally (who won an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs) and a dream cast that makes the most of the material. Anthony Hopkins, of course, is the star attraction, essaying the role of Hannibal for the third time. Set before the excellent Silence and the execrable Hannibal, this one begins with the good doctor being captured by FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton), who promptly retires from the bureau until he's asked to help track down a serial killer (Ralph Fiennes) who's been carving up entire families. Graham needs help tracking down this madman, and he's soon forced to seek advice from his old nemesis, the unflappable Hannibal. Hopkins' Lecter has lost much of his menace over the years, but he's still enjoyable to watch, as is the rest of this sharp thriller.
THE RING An American remake of a 1998 Japanese smash that spawned a pair of sequels, a TV series and a cult following, The Ring centers around the existence of a videocassette that causes death to anyone who dares watch it. So what exactly is on this terrible tape? Outtakes from The Anna Nicole Show? Footage of the Liza Minnelli-David Gest wedding? The torturous Vanilla Ice bomb Cool As Ice? Actually, none of the above; instead, it turns out to be a series of grainy, bizarre images that would be right at home in a music video by, say, Nine Inch Nails or Metallica. After her teenage niece and her friends mysteriously die exactly seven days after viewing the video, a reporter (Naomi Watts) suspects this may be more than an urban legend, so she tracks down the tape and watches it. Quickly realizing she's now doomed, she sets about studying the footage for hidden clues that might end up saving her life. In his short movie career, director Gore Verbinski has certainly been someone to watch, having helmed Mouse Hunt and The Mexican. Yet the quirky light touch that served him well on those projects has hampered him here: For a movie built around a piece of film containing unsettling images, The Ring is itself a rather tame undertaking, never building the finger-curling sense of dread that's demanded by the material. At the same time, Verbinski clearly takes the genre seriously (overall, the movie's on a par with the '98 original), and he scored a casting coup by landing Watts in her first appearance since her amazing breakthrough performance in last year's Mulholland Drive. 1/2
SPIRITED AWAY If there's a film genre that qualifies as an open invitation for moviemakers to let it all artistically hang out, it would be the animated field, where writers and directors don't have to worry about special effects proving too costly or stars turning too temperamental. In the animated kingdom, the imagination is truly king, and it's depressing to note just how small-minded most of its product has turned out over the years. A wonderful exception, however, is Spirited Away, Japan's all-time top moneymaker and the best animated feature since Beauty and the Beast 11 years ago. Creative beyond all reason or expectation, this latest effort from the revered Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is a phenomenal achievement, a gorgeous-looking piece of cinema that stirs memories of everything from Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz to Where the Wild Things Are and Yellow Submarine. Featuring visions more suited to a hallucinatory dream than a movie screen, this picture, about a young girl who's forced to work in a bathhouse that caters to spirits, takes particular delight in confounding our expectations every step of the way -- not since Being John Malkovich has a movie proven to be so gloriously unpredictable. And perhaps only the Cantina in Star Wars can match this film's bathhouse as a sight for soaring eyes unable to believe the sheer number of unusual creatures sauntering through the place. Yet while Spirited Away would be worthwhile simply as an ocular treat, the story's also solid, concerning itself with timeless issues like honor, sacrifice, responsibility and respect.