The ending of the prequel of
Hannibal Lecter Red Dragon
leads directly to
The Silence of the Lambscreating a strange plot hole. Viewers had to wait a decade before
Anthony Hopkins returned to his Oscar-winning role in Hannibal of 2001, but the producers had no intention of waiting another ten years for the next film. They decided to make a second adaptation of the first Hannibal novel, Red
Dragon, although, given the reluctance of
Anthony Hopkins returning, other actors such as Jude Law have been considered as possible replacements for the young Lecter.
In the end
Anthony Hopkins he signed for Red
Dragonwhich marked his final appearance in the role. A problem of Red Dragon is that it’s set in the ’80s and Hopkins essentially plays a version of Hannibal who is supposed to be 20 years younger than the one seen in the film Hannibal Of
Ridley Scott. Of course, without digital de-aging, makeup can’t do much to cover up the fact that he looks older than he did in the movie. The Silence of the Lambs. He’s still very funny in the role, which makes this flaw easier to ignore. That said, the ending Of Red
Dragon reveals another timeline issue.
Red Dragon’s finale introduces Clarice Starling too early
Foto di Glen Wilson – © 2002 – Universal Studios – All rights
reserved.
The film Red Dragon ends with FBI agent Will Graham, played by Edward Norton, narrowly surviving a shootout with serial killer The Tooth Fairy (Ralph
Fiennes). The ending jumps forward slightly to Hannibal in his cell, writing a letter to Will wishing him well – but with some sour undertones. The last moments see the director of the Chilton asylum (Anthony
Heald) inform Hannibal that a young FBI woman wants to meet him. This, of course, brings to mind the meeting between Lecter and Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. However, in the timeline of Red Dragon this makes little sense.
Most of Red Dragon takes place in 1986, while Silence of the Lambs is set in 1990. The prequel’s ending doesn’t state how long after Will’s attack the film takes place, but it’s implied that it’s a few months at most. Clarice visiting Hannibal so soon after the Tooth Fairy case doesn’t work here, and it feels like the filmmakers simply fudged the timing to add a nice little wink to the audience.
How the ending of Red Dragon can make sense with The Silence of the Lambs
There are a few ways the ending at Red Dragon can still line up with the teaser of The silence of the lambs. Either Hannibal suddenly decided to write a letter to Will four years after his attack, or he thought of his old enemy at that moment and imagined Will on his boat with his family. Maybe the scene where Will reads – and then discards – the letter was years in the making before the final scene, to signify how far he has moved away from Hannibal.
Red Dragon It has other flaws besides this time plot hole, but it’s one of the most glaring.
