Hopkins' performance hasn't aged well, but still a great film....

Watching this on the big screen during my senior year at college made a huge impression on me, especially Hopkins's performance. But watching it repeatedly over the years, the luster has worn off a little....not of the film as a whole, but for Hopkins.

Watching him now, his performance seems quite cheesy and silly, with some menacing moments in between. Compare his performance to Mads Mikkelsen in "Hannibal" and Mads blows him away, with more intelligence, subtlety and creepiness.

I'm not saying Hopkins didn't give a terrific, grand, entertaining performance....he did. But what I notice more NOW when I re-watch the film that perhaps I overlooked before: the amazing cinematography and how each careful and meticulous shot pulls you in, grabs you, and ups the tension....an increasing appreciation for Ted Levine's terrifying performance as a wounded, lost soul....and just an appreciation for the amazing direction and pace of the film.

Most people will probably remember the film for Hopkins but, for me, he isn't the reason NOW that the movie has remained a classic.



"The future is tape, videotape, and NOT film?"