Before the Silence, there was the Dragon! Screen legend Anthony Hopkins (Nixon) reprises his iconic role as the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter in this thrilling prequel to The Silence of the Lambs. After capturing Dr. Lecter, FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton, The Score) retires—only to be called back to active duty to hunt down an elusive killer, “The Tooth Fairy” (Ralph Fiennes, In Bruges). To stop the brutal murders from continuing, Graham must first let Lecter inside his head. Prepare to be disturbed as Graham confronts the brilliantly sinister Lecter in Red Dragon, the electrifying, critically acclaimed movie based on the classic bestseller by Thomas Harris (Hannibal). Deliciously directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) and flavored with a seasoned cast including Harvey Keitel (Bad Lieutenant), Emily Watson (Punch-Drunk Love), Mary-Louise Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote).

For thoughts on Red Dragon, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/8LVGW1SoP0U?si=l1Kb7eoRa1ZTkccJ&t=3021]

Video Quality

Red Dragon debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of Kino Classics with a 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer derived from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. This release does come with a Blu-Ray disc which is derived from the same 4K master, and I do own a previous version of the film on Blu-Ray from Universal in 2010. Judging from a brief comparison between the old Blu-Ray, the new Blu-Ray, and the 4K UHD Blu-Ray, it is clear that there are some strong improvements with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. The difference is substantial when compared to the old Blu-Ray, and subtly better when judged against the new one. Yet, there are issues with the encoding that keep this from knocking it out of the park.

This release retains some amount of natural film grain from the source, but the presentation is somewhat inconsistent from scene to scene regarding the presentation. Some moments are nearly perfect and resolve naturally free of clumping and swarming. Other moments have almost nonexistent or choppy grain, mostly when dealing with a brighter background. There are numerous moments throughout this new transfer when you are exposed to so much texture and detail which brings out new facets of the feature. Skin tones are natural, and the clarity of the transfer gives you a stellar amount of facial detail. Dolby Vision accentuates the bold colors in the foliage, the production design, and the lighting choices. Black levels are robust and allow the image to show off a vast amount of depth and detail in the numerous shadowy environments, although crush sometimes rears its head. Highlights are more problematic, as mentioned before. This presentation is largely pleasing, but Kino needs to focus on the quality of their encoding more in the future.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray presents the movie with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio lossless track that brings this world to life without issue. Dialogue comes through perfectly clearly and balances well with competing elements. The track delineates the many layers of sound so nothing turns into a sonic mess. The surround channels are active as they deliver some texture to the world with discrete nuances to make each environment stand out. The directionality of the sound is carefully implemented throughout with no errant placement. The low end shows up when it needs to for some dynamic texture. The Danny Elfman score establishes a unique tone that radiates out with flawless fidelity. This audio presentation is a delightful experience for fans. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Brett Ratner and Screenwriter Ted Tally deliver a decent archival commentary track in which they recall various aspects of the production including the development of different scenes, the shooting locations, the performances from the ensemble, the visual aesthetic of the film, the casting and collaborative process, anecdotes from the set and much more.

Isolated Score with Audio Commentary by Composer Danny Elfman: In this track, Elfman sporadically breaks into the isolated score to discuss ideas behind the music.

A Director’s Journey: A 40-minute documentary that follows director Brett Ratner through his creative journey including his pre-production work with location scouting, speaking to creative consultants at the FBI, and more before getting into the thick of production and eventually getting to the premiere.

The Making Of Red Dragon: A nearly 15-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss how this entry fits into the Hannibal Lecter story, working with the source material, the character dynamics, and much more.

Visual Effects: A nearly five-minute look at the digital effects enhancements via before and after comparisons.

Screen and Film Tests: A 12-minute piece that shows some of the camera tests to see how the characters looked in different environments with varying looks. This is provided with commentary from the creative team.

Anthony Hopkins – Lecter and Me: A nearly five-minute conversation with Anthony Hopkins in which he speaks about his iconic portrayal of Hannibal Lecter.

The Burning Wheelchair: A four-minute behind-the-scenes look at the filming of one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

The Leeds’ House Crime Scene: A nearly four-minute piece in which a technical adviser lends his insights to make sure the crime scene seems authentic.

Makeup Application: A 46-second look at some eye-opening makeup effects.

Inside The Mind of a Serial Killer – Hosted by John Douglas: An eight-minute featurette in which an FBI profiler lends his thoughts on the inner workings of serial killers.

Storyboard to Final Film Comparison: A nearly nine-minute comparison piece between the original storyboards and the final film.

Brett Ratner’s Student Film: A four-minute silent effort from Ratner which finds a man having an out-of-body experience.

Deleted Scenes: There are seven unused scenes totaling five and a half minutes with optional audio commentary from the creative team. Most of them are minor or extraneous moments that were cut for pacing.

Alternate Scenes: There are four alternate versions of scenes totaling four and a half minutes with optional audio commentary from the creative team. It is interesting to hear why the team felt the theatrical versions work better than these.

Extended Scenes: There are three extended versions of scenes totaling two and a half minutes with optional audio commentary from the creative team. Most of these moments were cut to speed things up.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for Red Dragon. There are also trailers provided for The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal.

Final Thoughts

Red Dragon is often decried as a misfire within the Hannibal Lecter saga, but the film holds up as pretty solid entertainment if you are not holding it to the standards of The Silence of the Lambs. The film often feels more true to the spirit of the series than Hannibal. Anthony Hopkins is as great as ever as the iconic monster and the film brings along a host of talented performers to join in on the fun. Brett Ratner plays things safe with his directing, but he gets the job done. Kino Classics has given this one a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade with an inconsistent A/V presentation and some great legacy special features. If you are a fan of the series, this one still delivers ample thrills. Recommended

Red Dragon is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.