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Hannibal Rising: Frank's take
01/03/2007 . Source: Frank Ochieng 
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is perhaps one of the most disturbing, sophisticated iconic sociopaths that modern cinema has ever produced, says our Frank. Whether in the literary arena or on the big screen, Lecter has proven to be a calculating commodity; he's a brilliant freak of humanity that combines the off-kilter ingredients of intelligence and insanity. When audiences experienced the chilling and sensationalistic aura of Oscar-winning Sir Anthony Hopkins's literate lunatic unfolding before our very eyes in the magnificent Silence of the Lambs we didn't realize that the bounds of inhumanity could be so compellingly taunting. Hence, serving up Hannibal the cannibal in any other capacity-particularly the humble beginnings-would be a tall order of expectations to fill automatically. Buy Hannibal Rising in the USA - or Buy Hannibal Rising in the UK  In director Peter Webber's lukewarm prequel Hannibal Rising, the intentions on examining the clever carnivorous cad's formative years are met with an astounding thud. Dismally disjointed, the film's tone feels unevenly distributed and the performances are sluggish-interestingly by the lead player Gaspard Ulliel (A Very Long Engagement) as the famous celluloid serial killer. Webber's (Girl with a Pear Earring) misguided direction never lifts Hannibal Rising above its mediocre morbid core. Instead of making the proper impact as a probing psychological thriller, Hannibal translates into a dark and dull-minded horror-based shell. This is certainly not a good sign in trying to deliver the gory goods in the name of one of filmdom's menacing masterminds.
For Hannibal Lecter purists, it would be second nature to compare and contrast the movie franchise in reference to this latest staggering venture. The aforementioned Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Manhunter - all really don't need to panic in the miscalculating presence of Hannibal Rising.
In fact, the ubiquitous appearance of Hannibal Lecter feels a tad bit stretched out. There's no more genuine mystery or fascination about this deadly anomaly of a tortured madman. In short, Hannibal Lecter is becoming more of a laughable loony bin than that of the legendary lark that puts fear into his doomed target with just one solid icy stare beneath those bone-crushing bloodshot eyes. With uninspired material such as Hannibal Rising, it's no wonder why the horrific yet hedonistic Hannibal has convincingly overstayed his welcome.
Author Thomas Harris, inventor of Lecter's characterization in 1981's "Red Dragon", has now turned to screenwriter pertaining to the wildly perfunctory Hannibal Rising. As a novelist, Harris undoubtedly has captured the eerily essence of his world-famous creepy creation with every frightening flourish imaginable. However, the unpolished script never comprehensively explores the soundly deep-seeded psychological tendencies that made Lecter the beloved titan of terror.
Surprisingly, Harris never really takes over the steering wheel to drive home the mythical monster that is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Sadly, Harris's options are to coast while in the passenger's seat and hand the keys over to another operator. Harris is merely satisfied with living on the fictional devious doctor's roguish reputation. This doesn't seem very enterprising given the potential for feeding the continued hungry psyches of Hannibal the cannibal diehard enthusiasts.
With World War II in its final stages, the setting for Hannibal's "rising" takes place in Lithuania. Eight-year old Hannibal (Aaron Thomas) and his sister Mischia (Helena Lia Tachovska) are subjected to double tragedies. First, they witness the slaughtering of their parents by Nazi and Russian enforcers. Naturally this will leave an everlasting emotional scar on the youngster. To add to the devastating circumstances, young Hannibal and Mischia are kidnapped by a travelling band of thugs. Grutas (Rhys Ifans) is the brutish leader of these misfits. When the fighting persists and the food shortage is at an all-time low, they become quite desperate and decide to make poor little Mischia their "convenient snack" of choice. At this point, Hannibal is completely numb as his sister is literally shredded to bits before his very weary eyes.
Years later after toiling around in an orphanage, the disillusioned Hannibal travels to France to seek out his only known relative-an uncle. The uncle has died but he leaves behind his sensuous Asian widow in the lovely Lady Murasaki Shikibu (Gong Li). Lady Murasaki would be instrumental in teaching Hannibal the art of revenge courtesy of her prowess with a sword and other advisory methods of defense. Her input will assist the determined Hannibal to exact revenge on the heartless cretins responsible for his beloved sister Mischia's malicious killing.
Although Hannibal finds time for his tedious studies in medical school, he remains focused on finding the vermin that sacrificed his sister's innocent flesh for their devilish empty bellies. It's understandable-to Hannibal anyway-that he must release the inner pain and compensate for his personal loss by coping via his own murderous spree. It's a textbook reaction in that the world needs to experience (read: punished) what Hannibal had lost physically, emotionally and psychologically. The scorned-physician-in-the-making needs to keep a few paces ahead of the local hotshot inspector (Dominic West) who's vowed to catch the grotesque killing machine.
Hannibal Rising has its share of gruesome scenes and the futile attempts are initiated to enhance the youthful Hannibal Lecter as a pathetic but unlikely pathos-driven victim whose innocence was corrupted by the surrounding societal savagery.
The set-up is straight-forward and predictably conceived in that childhood trauma could very well be the mental stumbling block that gives credence to such ominous isolationists like a rampaging Hannibal Lecter and his embedded rage. Still, Webber's reliance on such a simplistic blueprint doesn't begin to do justice to the larger-than-life Hannibal as distinctively symbolized by the Academy Award-winning Hopkins in Lambs or even by Brian Cox in Michael Mann's vastly underrated Manhunter.
Inexplicably incoherent in its murkiness, Hannibal Rising is a messy film from the drab and arbitrary performances to the shameless exploitative opportunity to milk the marketable flesh-eating fiend in a plodding prequel that's more detached than a separated body limb placed neatly on Lecter's dinner plate. Ulliel seems rather bland and distant to embody the gross-induced growing pains of Hannibal Lecter as a gradual "psychotic snacker" at large. Somehow Ulliel's Hannibal doesn't invite any inviting urgency or cunning callousness that would allow us to see the logical transformation that would be the heralded sinister Dr. Lecter.
As obstreperous as Hannibal Rising purports to be in its hair-raising skin, this is basically a distracting revenge story that features the atmospheric coating of angst-ridden clichés such as the torn protagonist undergoing weaponry training and masking rituals within the confines of a boorish slice of slaughterhouse cinema. Sure, Lecter loyalists will probably eat this noxious narrative up regardless of the flawed findings. This internal struggle for decency and dastardly forces is something worth delving into with riveting forethought but Webber never really invests the energy into digging at Hannibal's soulless hole with in-depth vigor.
From a young and wayward Lithuanian war refugee to the droll and drastic killer that would be the incomparable Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Rising takes a shattering fall.
Frank Ochieng
© Frank Ochieng 2007
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