Michael Mann’s 1986 thriller Manhunter is an interesting film.
On one hand, it is a pure unadulterated masterpiece. On the other, it gets overshadowed by future iterations of Hannibal-centric films like The Silence of the Lambs.
To true movie buffs, Manhunter’s legacy is bonafide. However, when you bring it up, most conversations usually go a little something like, “There was another Hannibal Lecter before Anthony Hopkins?”
40 years later, it is interesting to look at what this movie has meant to the genre, the character, and movie lovers in general.
Before he spent 20 plus years gracing our screens as Gil Grissom on CSI, William Peterson was a staple in the action/thriller genre. In 1986, he gave us a brilliant performance as FBI profiler Will Graham.
He starred opposite Brian Cox (yes, Logan Roy) who played Dr. Lecktor (a spelling unique to this film) quite menacingly.
The contrast between these two roles is interesting to consider when you revisit the film. Peterson gave the definitive Will Graham performance, maybe even the definitive investigator performance.
All subsequent roles are measured against him. With Lecter, as we know, the definitive role came five years later from Anthony Hopkins.
The Silence of the Lambs famously swept the Oscars, and is definitely the big brother in this duo. It leaned a little more into the scary side of thriller, but Manhunter is every bit as thrilling.
It offers the perfect combination of action and thrills.
When you rewatch this film, it is also easy to see how many things in the subsequent four decades drew from it. Both Manhunter, as a genre film, and the performance of the two lead actors laid an important groundwork.
It is easy to see Peterson’s influence on Edward Norton in his turn as Graham in 2002’s Red Dragon. That isn’t simply because he’s playing the same character, either.
Whenever a cop has to play the role a little more cerebrally while also being a bit of a cowboy, there is a kernel of Will Graham.
Photo Credit: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)Television shows like Criminal Minds and the Netflix sensation Mindhunter are among the ones that come to mind immediately when thinking of those that draw upon Manhunter's influence. Even beyond the other Hannibal Lecter movies, there are films such as David Fincher’s Zodiac that build on the foundations laid by Manhunter.
It also isn’t too far of a stretch to say that our modern day fascination with profiling, procedure, and legal drama that has manifested itself in the true crime craze can trace some roots to Mann’s masterpiece.
There is a real “the devil is in the details” approach to the making of this film, which traces back to the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. However, Michael Mann would not have been the first filmmaker to lose the heart of a novel in the adaptation from page to screen.
It is a real testament to Mann as a storyteller that he was able to capture that magic on camera.
Another component to Manhunter that has influenced so many shows and movies that came after was how much it focused on the toll Graham’s job took on him.
Studying some of the darkest acts that humans have ever committed, learning to understand what makes a serial killer tick, and being around so much sadness weighed heavily on Graham. In fact we meet him after he has stepped away from the job because of how burnt out he was.
Manhunter is his return to the field because the FBI is having trouble catching a new serial killer.
This may not seem like an innovative approach in today’s world, but it was a real change of pace from the way we lionized our heroes and protagonists.
We were used to them showing no weakness. Gruesome scenes and violent encounters didn’t phase them anymore than a spilled coffee.
Years later, we see it on shows like The Wire and so many other places in pop culture. This is the complete opposite of Clint Eastwood’s movies, where he just moves on, almost robotically from one traumatic experience to the next.
In fact, it has almost come full circle, because now it is zagging back towards the Clint Eastwood way with shows like Reacher.
While we are seeing a return to the stoic, unflappable hero, there are still Will Graham influences out there. The cool thing is that the details and backstories have branched out.
Emmy Rossum’s role of Alice Black in the serial killer drama Furious is a direct descendant of Graham. Her work impacts her life and vice versa.
The modern pivot from movies like Manhunter is that now we try to humanize our villains and killers too.
The great thing about Manhunter is that it holds up so well on rewatches. There is always something new to discover in the movie itself.
There is always something you can recognize from modern movies and TV that was perfected in the movie.
