10 Best Acting Performances In The Hannibal Lecter Trilogy

Emily Watson appears in 2002’s Red Dragon as Reba McClane, the blind love interest of Francis Dolarhyde. She essentially acts as a foil and moral compass, albeit unknowingly, to Dolarhyde’s ‘Red Dragon’ personality for the majority of the film by causing him to develop a conscience around his actions. This ultimately backfires in the third act when McClane’s work colleague Ralph Mandy, played by Frank Whaley, takes her on a date, causing ‘the Great Red Dragon’ to emerge, killing Mandy and kidnapping McClane.

A scene which particularly stands out sees McClane and Dolarhyde sitting together to watch a VHS tape which he claims is for “work”. Unbeknownst to her, the tape actually is another home video which he is studying to case out a home. Watson is able to magnificently embody McClane’s innocence and unknowing ignorance to her surroundings as she flirts with Dolarhyde while he is focused on the tape and on watching his next victim.

Watson’s portrayal of the blind character is masterfully done, achieving the difficult task of avoiding eye contact with both actors and the camera to give a true sense of disconnect between her and the sighted characters she skilfully plays off of. It is comparable to the portrayal of Matt Murdock by Charlie Cox in the Netflix show Marvel's Daredevil, another blind character. These unique mannerisms make her character stand out with her co-stars, specifically Ralph Fiennes with whom Watson shares most of her scenes.