Every Michael Mann Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Before director Jonathan Demme and Oscar-winning stars Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins came along and breathed new life into Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, Michael Mann made Manhunter, an admittedly impressive adaptation of the novel Red Dragon.

Brian Cox takes centre stage as Hannibal the Cannibal, who's approached by FBI profiler Will Graham (William Peterson) to help with his investigation into the killer known only as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan).

Though it suffers from some of Mann's most indulgent traits, including a distracting colour scheme and an out-of-place soundtrack, Manhunter is under its flaws a chilling and methodically paced serial killer thriller, anchored by great performances (Cox is fantastic as the infamous cannibal) and a genuinely intense cat-and-mouse mystery.

Mann's focus on style over character can sometimes hurt the overall tone and consistency of the film, but as a whole Manhunter is a strong thriller that's easy to digest and hard to forget.