Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Cinematic feast, er, feat

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is the editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

HANNIBAL MOVED his elephants over the Alps and into Italy during the Punic Wars. He made quite a hit.

Hannibal Lechter may have eaten a few elephants while in Italy as he, too, made a big hit. His success, though, will be in movie theaters around the globe. The first time out, Anthony Hopkins' award-winning performance managed to silence a few lambs. This time, Dr. Lechter used his gut instincts -- if you get my drift -- to silence an entire theater that sat stunned at the turn of events as well as of a few stomachs.

I am not a very good movie reviewer because I lack the ability of the critic who can pick apart the work of a brilliant director and an incredible cast. For me, if the popcorn is good and the Coke is cold, the movie has a fighting chance for success before the curtain goes up. But as a layman, I can say that Hannibal, if you can stand the sight of blood, is well worth the price of admission. Megahits are always hard acts to follow and, in that regard, Hannibal has some big shoes to fill. But I suspect that the movie will do the job that Alex Yemenidjian at MGM expects it to do.

Alex was all smiles at the Zeigfeld Theater in New York before the movie started. I watched him when the curtain came down and he was still smiling, although not from the movie itself, because a smile is not the reaction intended nor provoked. Rather, it was the reaction of the crowd that told him Tony Hopkins' spine-tingling performance will lead to a box office smash. First there was applause, then there was silence -- the eerie kind -- and then there was the inevitable buzz that follows when people come back to their senses.

The first thing many Hannibal fans will notice is that Clarice Starling, the female FBI agent Jodie Foster made famous, is somebody else. Jodie passed up the part this time, but it was masterfully played by Julianne Moore, who had the audience convinced that she was the real Clarice within the first five minutes of the movie. And Hannibal, sly devil that he is, couldn't tell the difference, either, as his kind of love interest in the government agent grows deeper throughout the story.

It is not often that Academy Awards are given for reprise roles, but it is not difficult to understand why they should be after spending a couple of hours at dinner with the good doctor. If there is another actor with the talent and versatility of Anthony Hopkins out there, he is still a well-kept secret. That man can do anything -- and he practically does everything -- as the cannibal turned curator turned cannibal proves he knows no bounds of decency. Throughout the movie, though, the phrase "they had it coming" stays near the tip of the tongue as if to justify the damage that he does. And speaking of tongue, well, let's not go there.

And for those of you who like great acting, you will love the job that Gary Oldman does in playing a man who knew Hannibal in another life, let's say. To say any more about Oldman would be to give away a searing piece of the movie that I am not prepared to do. Mostly because I hate it when people do that to me. Suffice it to say that Oldman puts a different face on the issue of cannibalism.

Then there is the irrepressible Ray Liotta, who plays the good-cop, bad-cop routine with Clarice as his partner. His is a most interesting role that builds to a finale that ranks amongst the most distasteful final minutes imaginable. I wouldn't want to give the ending away so I'll only say that if Liotta had half a brain he would sign up for the sequel that looks certain to be coming to a theater near us sooner than the decade that separated the first two efforts.

I would not suggest that Mom and Dad take the kids to see this movie. In fact, I am not so sure you would want to take Mom and Dad to see this one without first giving them plenty of warning. I say that and yet, Tony Hopkins' mother, the ever spry and life-loving Muriel, could be seen savoring every moment of the story, not in the same way, though, as her sonny boy was savoring his co-stars. She sat close to her friend, Sister Ada, who smiled when it was over but could be seen wincing from time to time -- not an improper reaction for a lady of the cloth, I might add.

But as much as people moaned or groaned their way through the trials and tribulations of a man coming to grips with his insatiable appetite, the real story occurred at the end of our row, as I watched a former three-time heavyweight champion of the world struggle through the rough parts. One would think that a man like Muhammad Ali would have seen everything during his most incredible life. But besides being one of the sweetest and most caring human beings I know, The Greatest could be seen hiding behind those massive fists when Hannibal reacted with a lightning speed of his own when it came time to gut it out with the bad guys. Ali, like most human beings, has a threshold for the kind of pain that a good scare will inflict. I think Tony Hopkins found a way to bump up against that threshold in the Champ, just like he will for the millions who will flock to the theaters to watch Hannibal do his thing.

I would love to continue on about Dr. Lechter and his efforts to chew his way to respectability, but space and time will not permit. It must be said again that Hannibal isn't for everyone, but everyone who understands what movies are and enjoys a good one when it hits the screen should see this one in living color and on the biggest screen you can find. When my friend, Mr. Hopkins, goes the way of all flesh, or should I say goes a long way in search of flesh, there isn't a turned eye in the crowd. There may be a few closed ones, but that's only for effect.

Hannibal will meet the box office expectations of Alex and his colleagues. I expect that Anthony Hopkins and probably one or more of his co-stars will be nominated for enduring stardom by the Academy. And I hope that those who dream of such things will write a sequel for those of us, who can't seem to get enough. I'll include Hannibal Lechter in that group!

Now it's time to get someone, er, something to eat. See you at the movies.

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