Ten years after the events of The Silence of the Lambs, FBI agent Clarice Starling finds herself in disgrace after a drug raid goes badly wrong. Her case draws the attention of Mason Verger, a wealthy man left disfigured and paralyzed by Hannibal Lecter, who has spent years plotting revenge on his former psychiatrist. Verger offers a three-million-dollar reward for help in capturing Lecter, and Starling is reassigned to a hunt for a man who, from hiding in Florence, poses as an art scholar. The story moves between Italy and the United States and follows several characters chasing the fugitive for very different reasons, including a Florentine police inspector and a Justice Department official eager to exploit the situation.

How it was made

The project had a long gestation. Thomas Harris took several years to write the novel, and the rights to the character belonged to producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis, who had held them since making Manhunter (1986). Once Harris finished the book, De Laurentiis bought the rights for a record ten million dollars. Expectations ran high: Jonathan Demme was discussed as a possible director, and Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were expected to return, but neither Demme nor Foster ended up involved. Ridley Scott, who had been attached while directing Gladiator (2000), signed on after reading De Laurentiis's script. The screenplay is credited to David Mamet and Steven Zaillian. Julianne Moore replaced Foster, and Hopkins returned as Lecter. Principal photography began in May 2000 and lasted sixteen weeks. John Mathieson's cinematography and Hans Zimmer's score help highlight the contrast between the elegance of Florence and the grim atmosphere of Verger's mansion.

Reception and legacy

Hannibal opened in February 2001 and broke box office records in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Against a budget of about 87 million dollars, it grossed roughly 352 million worldwide, making it one of the year's biggest hits. Critics, however, were largely negative. Performances, especially Hopkins's, and the visual style drew praise, but many judged the film inferior to The Silence of the Lambs and objected to its violence. Its most notable recognition came in Europe, where it received a nomination for the People's Choice Award for Best Director at the European Film Awards. Over time, Lecter became a fixture of popular culture, and the film was followed by the prequel Red Dragon (2002), with Hopkins again in the lead role.