MovieChat Forums > Manhunter (1986) Discussion > The killer is rarely who he seems

The killer is rarely who he seems

posted 12 years ago by danwiild
11 replies | jump to latest

Dave Cullen, author of Columbine, said in an interview not too long ago that the killer is rarely who he seems. This movie is an exact personification.
During, shortly after the scene where Dollarhyde intimidates the news reporter, I was terrified of him. He seemed like the coldest monster ever.
Then we are forced to follow him in the movie at his workplace, and with the blind woman. Then, when she shows him affection...I was floored at seeing the emotion that we suddenly see in him.
You suddenly realise here that he is not a monster, but someone seriously mixed up, probably from serious abuse when he was younger. That said, some killers are monstrous.
Take Ted Bundy: he volunteered at a suicide prevention hotline. He would have deep condos with the people over the phone, and would then go out and rape & murder a random woman.

Just goes to show, never jump to conclusions. The killer may not be what you think he is.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

Yeah - quite telling that the most beautiful sequence in the film is at Dollarhyde´s house, the night and morning with Reba. Gives wholly another dimension to the thing. And thanks to that, the evil actually takes on even more mysterious, incomprehensible & frightening shades. Such a thin line there, it seems.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] Edward_de_Vere 12 years ago

The amount of depth that this film gave to Dollarhyde makes it stand out among serial killer films. I first saw this film over 20 years ago, and the scene of Dollarhyde crying in bed with Reba's hand over his face really stuck in my mind.

It actually raises an interesting question about different facets of a killer's mind. It's tempting that dismiss the "normal" or "human" side of killers as just play-acting, their way to hiding who they are in society. In fact, their normal side can be just as much an authentic aspect of who they are as their violent and perverted side.

Brian Cox (Lecter in Manhunter) played a pedophile in the film L.I.E. who was also a war hero and a highly regarded pillar of his community. In an interview, he said that he could have played the part in two ways, as a pervert who hides behind a normal, decent facade, or as a normal, decent person with a hidden perversion. He chose the latter as being more realistic, as did Mann and Noonan in the way that Dollarhyde was portrayed.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 10 years ago

The amount of depth that this film gave to Dollarhyde makes it stand out among serial killer films. I first saw this film over 20 years ago, and the scene of Dollarhyde crying in bed with Reba's hand over his face really stuck in my mind.

One of the many, strong reasons that I love Dollarhyde. He is treated intelligently and with a certain dignity by the film.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

[–] Rayvio 11 years ago

considering how much more difficult it is to portray motivations in visual media rather than in writing and the time constraints of a movie, Manhunter did a very impressive job with his character. I very much recommend reading the Red Dragon book as it goes into even greater detail but as I said, books have the advantage over movies there anyway

~~~
I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me...
rayvio.wordpress.com

[–] AfroGeek 10 years ago

This is part of what makes him a superior villain to Lector (SotL version) to me. The movie perfectly sets up showing him in both lights. Lector is just an unstoppable uber-smart boogieman who always seems to be there and know all. Just about every villain in the 80s and 90s used that motif.

Amy: I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 10 years ago

I was watching this documentary one day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI2tqOQlAbk

and I was amazed at how different this guy was than what I expected. I had heard about Joel Rifkin , and though his actions are monstrous, the person being interviewed isn't a monster, just a screwed up person with serious issues. The key word here being person. I would suggest watching this to see the man behind the horrific actions, to get an idea of how close to a normal person he is.

[–] danwiild 10 years ago

Haven't actually seen it yet, but do be careful, as the very words 'serial killer' 9.9 times out of 10 means ''clinical psychopath''. And one of their greatest attributes is an ability to disguise their sadistic side - which is probably possible because they have been shown to have high levels of oxytocin (involved in bonding/social understanding).

I think that real life cases like Dollarhyde are more close to the ''mass murderers'', like school shooters (Dylan Klebold) or some of the terrorists in 9/11.

I strongly suspect that the reason a lot of these monsters get ''fangirls'' is that they believe the killer, like Dollarhyde, is deep down a very hurt, sensitive young man who needs to be rescued. Unfortunately, that is usually a myth, as studies have shown these killers were all shown to possess antisocial/cruel traits from a very young age.

[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 10 years ago

I haven't watched this video in a year or so, but I felt it was a good one from my memory as to how human one of these monsters can be. It's obvious he had problems as a child, and who knows why he personally ended up the way he did. He seems to have a clear idea it was wrong now, knows he won't ever get out of jail, and is oddly personable. Other than that, it's an interesting story nonetheless.

[–] kingcarcas 10 years ago

It could be just an act to get along, yes most of the time they had problems in Childhood..................BUT there comes a time when you cross the line that it no longer matters. You are a monster and need to be put in a cage.

Assume nothing; Question everything

[–] PoppyTransfusion 10 years ago

yes most of the time they had problems in Childhood..................BUT there comes a time when you cross the line that it no longer matters

It depends whether or not you want society to continue with intractable problems around crime. Childhood always matters even if you or society decides that the person is now chronologically adult. Dollarhyde is fascinating because his grandiosity is infantile. He wants to be held in a gaze of unconditional love. We know, from the book, that this was what was denied him as a small child. His rage he transmutes into murderousness and he concocts toxic fantasies to try and give him what he never had. Only a blind woman, who cannot provide the visual gaze but a loving embrace, nearly breaks through. In fact she does break through; he cannot kill her at the end.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.