Manhunter

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Manhunter

R

1986

2h 0m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

120 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer -- and cannibal -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement. Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).

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Critics Consensus

Michael Mann introduces audiences to Hannibal Lecter for the first time in Manhunter, a modish thriller that fleshes out Thomas Harris' heinous creations with an elegant, chilling detachment.

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

Aug 15

Mann is a real film-maker -- one who tells a story through what you see and, worse, what you imagine. It's a serial-killer thriller of quite unusual mood, intelligence and surprise.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

Aug 15

It's only later, safely out of its grasp, that you begin to notice that for all its perverse fascination, and save for two superlative performances, Manhunter has delivered very little.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Aug 15

How do you put the mind of a murderer into a movie? Writer-director Michael Mann's irritatingly fashionable and self-consciously estheticized version of Red Dragon, entitled Manhunter, is no help.

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Candice Russell

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Aug 15

3.5/4

Michael Mann's mastery of the medium as its writer and director is evident in every frame of the film. He knows how to tell a story without any fat.

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John Powers

L.A. Weekly

Aug 15

Mann's stylistic preening makes Manhunter a formal shambles, a film student's wet dream, a demonic gibber of a movie. Mann may know all the tricks in the book, but he doesn't understand the book.

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Fred Lutz

Toledo Blade

Aug 15

Both Cox and tall Tom Noonan are persuasive as dedicated serial killers. The egotism of Cox in particular, complete with his precise English accent, provides an alarmingly fresh slant on the homicidal personality.

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Lyle

Jul 27

Excellent restoration!

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steve S

@stsch Aug 14

absolutely horrible. after a while, it just morphed into a satire of itself. who wrote this thing? and where did they find actors so untalented?

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Phil D

@phildub Aug 8

Michael Mann is fantastic. Great job of making Thomas Harris’ work come to life. Mind Hunter is basically a direct copy of this even down to the FBI duo.

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Pauly G

@PauleyinMD Aug 7

The OG Dr. Hannibal Lecter film! Another Michael Mann masterpiece! Well written & masterfully acted! Brian Cox is as clever & devious, as he is scary ("Hannibal")! William Petersen (as "Will Graham") is as tough as they come, and Tom Noonan (R.I.P.) as "Dollarhyde" will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck! Excellent movie on all fronts! If you're a fan of the Thomas Harris books, and haven't seen this one yet, you're missing out!👍🏻👍🏻

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Josh W

@josh2077 Aug 6

Classic Michael Mann.

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Rey T

@TheRey6 Jul 26

Very Good Film. Cool End Song.

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Molly Graham

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Synopsis

FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer -- and cannibal -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement. Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).

Director: Michael Mann
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Michael Mann
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Columbia, Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 1986, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $163.0K
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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