What *made* this film for you? (possible spoilers)

Probably the tiger scene, too...also the love scene between Reba and Dollarhyde, their relationship is disturbing yet so moving!
I think that all the scenes between Tom Noonan and Joan Allen are among the best Mann has ever shot, the actors, use of music and direction in these scenes are incredible.
And William Petersen's performance in the film is awesome, so intense and introverted/underplayed at the same time...probably my favorite male performance and character in Mann's filmography.

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For me it was the tiger scene and the soundtrack and cinematography.

"Because of my big legs and my karate, I can do the splits......Noo...Prroblemm"

I think the various scenes of Graham deducing the Tooth Fairy's m.o. and motives are my favourite.

Two best examples are when he works out that Francis took his rubber gloves off at one of the murders. He exclaims it with contempt at the killer's (relative) carelessness. Not the elation that an investigator might have when realising that he might have discovered physical evidence which could break the case open.

The other is of course the realisation that the killer has seen the same videos that Graham is watching of the murder victims. With this discovery Graham expresses pride. But is it pride at his own skills or is it admiration of the killer's? The action following that of Crawford calling the evidence room and confirming Graham's theory is played like an anti-climax for them or at least for Graham who seems either sadly reflective or apprehensive about where this is going to take them now. Speaking for myself, I think this part of the movie is the most thrilling. At least if not more so than the actual "climax" of Dollarhyde's killing.




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In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida running jump through the window scene.

Truthfully I didn't love the movie, but it doesn't help that I was tired and half falling asleep when I watched it, like seeing double, head-nod mode. That window scene woke me up quick though, ha, and the chaos that followed it. One of the most badass uses of soundtrack/action blending I ever saw, if that makes sense.

Another scene that really stood out to me, and kinda made me perk up, though for the wrong reasons, was in the grocery store. He's talking to his son in the breakfast cereal isle, and behind him you can see a box of Boo Berry. Now in Canada we get Count Chocula, but no Boo Berry for some reason. Still, as a kid I was cock-teased by the Boo Berry commercials on Saturday and to this day I never got to try it. I did get to try Cookie Crisp finally, but that's a story for another thread. Now, I couldn't be bothered with what they were saying in that scene, as I was more fixated on the cereal selections in the background. Then they cut to a scene where they are talking in front of the corn soup instead so it stood out like a sore thumb, but I was all like "Movie goofs! Yeah I watched this movie real good" and kinda nodded off again. But the whole time I kept thinking "hey, why aren't you reaching for the Boo Berry? Don't you know there are starving kids in Canada who don't even get to have any?"

The stuff with the blind woman was pretty cool though, but it was that In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida window scene later on that finally sold me.

I liked the fact that this film made us see Dollarhyde's vulnerable side as well as his sickness. This is probably the one film where the audience really gets to step into the killer's shoes because we're given something to identify with (unlike, say, Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs, where all we see is his depravity). It's uncomfortable and fascinating at the same time.

So would it be fair to say that the scene in Lecter's cell and immediately afterwards captured the wow of the cinematography and got you?

Fatima had a fetish for a wiggle in her scoot

The whole package really. The cast is perfect, Dollarhyde is one of the most fascinating villains in a movie I've ever seen and Brian Cox is a much more sinister Lecter imo. Hopkins was a little bit Universal Dracula... Cox really oozed menace. The colouring and cinematography is beautiful, and the score and use of original music is perfect.

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Duty Now For The Future

The little flashback when he's in the plane.