HUNGRY FOR MORE 'RED DRAGON' BRINGS ANTHONY HOPKINS BACK FOR A THIRD HELPING OF HANNIBAL LECTER.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer

What? Dr. Lecter again?

It seems like only yesterday we were watching Anthony Hopkins do his definitive interpretation of our favorite erudite mad doctor in the movie ``Hannibal.''

Actually, it was last year, but in blockbuster movie terms, that's a pretty short window between prestige franchise entries. Especially since ``Hannibal,'' based on the third and last book in Thomas Harris' serial killer series, came a full decade after ``The Silence of the Lambs,'' the multi-Oscar-winning feature that introduced the world to Hopkins' definitive embodiment of the mad cannibal genius.

Nevertheless, ``Red Dragon'' is now being unleashed. It's the fourth film based on a Lecter book; but, as mentioned above, there are only three of them.

So what gives? Well, some filmgoers may recognize this story as the same one producer Dino De Laurentiis and director Michael Mann filmed in 1986 under the title ``Manhunter.'' According to the key creative forces behind the new movie, there were good reasons - other than the obvious one of making another box-office killing before the 63-year-old Hopkins becomes too old to effectively play the terrifying part - to revisit the opening chapter of Harris' nightmarishly popular series.

``I read the book when it first came out and thought it was terrific; it's really one of my favorite thrillers,'' explains ``Silence's'' Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ted Tally. ``So when Dino asked if I wanted to do a new adaptation of 'Red Dragon,' I went back and read it. I wasn't interested in doing a remake of 'Manhunter,' because I think that left out a lot of interesting stuff from the book. But if I could go back to the book and use that, I'd be thrilled. He said, 'That's the intention,' so that was how it came about.''

Tally's adaptation intrigued Brett Ratner, the hot young director of the ``Rush Hour'' comedy hits who had been itching to expand his cinematic range.

``I was hesitant at first, I can tell you, for many reasons, but mostly just to follow in the footsteps of (``Hannibal'' director) Ridley Scott and (``Silence's'') Jonathan Demme,'' the 32-year-old filmmaker says. ``And I didn't really want to do a third in the series. But then I saw the script and it said, 'Written by Ted Tally.' And when I read it, I just flipped out - it was so great.''

Leave it to Hopkins, though, to put his third pass at Hannibal Lecter into a more objective perspective.

``Probably for very shallow and skin-deep reasons,'' the classically trained Welsh actor says of his latest reprise motives. ``I wasn't averse to playing it again, but I did have a little concern. Did I really want to do another of these? And is it really necessary to do another one?''

Apparently, yes. As Tally indicated, a lot of the book was not addressed in the comparatively little-seen ``Manhunter.'' Especially in regard to the title character, a schizophrenic serial killer named Francis Dolarhyde who feels that he's possessed by the demonic spirit of a William Blake painting.

Played by Ralph Fiennes in the film, the character's inner and outer life is explored much more fully than it was in Mann's film - so much so, in fact, that he effectively becomes the first non-Lecter lunatic that audiences can identify with in the movie series.

``My memory is that we don't meet that character until way into 'Manhunter,' and then he's kind of a cipher,'' Tally notes. ``I tried to use every scene he has in the book because I thought it was the most unusual part of the novel, the most creepy and unsettling.

``But inherent in Tom Harris' work, in all of his books, is that while he doesn't blink away from the most awful aspects of human beings, he tries to understand them and have a kind of empathy without forgiving their monstrosity.''

Of course, that's been Lecter's appeal all along. But while the novel provided a lot more for Dolarhyde to do on screen, its few Lecter scenes were used up in two ``Manhunter'' sequences, with Brian Cox playing the mad doctor before his ascendance to pop-cultural icon.

``It just seemed like common sense that if we were going to do another Hannibal Lecter movie at this date with Tony Hopkins in it, he was going to have to appear in the movie early and often,'' Tally figured.

So, with Harris' blessing, the screenwriter conjured up a prologue in which FBI agent Will Graham (played by Edward Norton), who'd been consulting with the eminent psychiatrist on a series of grisly murders, figures out that Lecter is the actual perpetrator and captures him - but only after both men nearly kill each other.

As ``Red Dragon'' unfolds, Graham must consult with Lecter - now imprisoned in the same brick cell where Clarice Starling would later find him in ``The Silence of the Lambs.'' Additional scenes in this well-known environment also had to be concocted. And Hopkins, playing a younger version of the character than he did in 1991, had to set different performance parameters for himself.

``I said to Brett that I just wanted to play Lecter very angry,'' Hopkins reveals. ``I didn't want to repeat the old jokes. And this is a man I'm dealing with in this one instead of a woman, and he's the guy who put me in this prison, so I'm pretty pissed off at him - well, I'd like to get out and do something to him!

``Brett didn't want me to reinvent it, but he took me at my word when I said I wanted to play Lecter with a lot of burning rage and viciousness. And he just directed me that way, and it's why actors need directors. Because it would be tempting to do a bit of the camp stuff, and even though I don't like to do many retakes, he always knew when I needed to try something a different way.''

What no director could do, of course, was make Hopkins look younger than he did 11 years ago.

``The only real task was getting into shape and try to look a little younger than I was,'' Hopkins recalls. ``It was a daunting prospect, but I think it sort of worked out. And they weren't that concerned; they said they weren't going to pretend that audiences don't know it's all back-to-front anyway, so there's a bit of dramatic license there.''

``It's kind of hard to make someone younger than they are, so if you're reading the lines on his face, then I've failed miserably,'' Rattner says with a laugh. ``Yeah, at first glance maybe, but once you're into the character, there's no doubt in anybody's mind that this is Hannibal Lecter. So, Anthony playing a younger Hannibal ... we didn't even deal with it. I mean, there are actors who play Hamlet both younger and older. I think Anthony Hopkins pretty much owns Hannibal Lecter.''

No argument there. But why?

``I think people just love the bravura meeting of this actor and this part,'' Tally reckons. ``The first time I ever met with Jonathan Demme, we talked about Anthony Hopkins. At that time, Tony's movie career was sort of at a low point, he had gone back to England and was acting in the theater. But we wanted him from the beginning on that film because he's charming and he's sexy and he's smart, and you can't fake that kind of intelligence in a character, or it will look like the dialogue's being typed above the actor's head. You've really got to have a smart person to play a smart person.''

Smart money has it that ``Red Dragon'' will be a hit. And even though no one has dared to suggest that a Lecter movie not derived from a Harris book could be made, big enough box office for this one will undoubtedly encourage such an effort.

If so, it will lack more than one crucial ingredient.

``Oh, I doubt it very much,'' Hopkins says of a fourth helping. ``I think Dino wants to do it, but I'm Lectered out now. It's been a good time, and I've enjoyed it all immensely, and it did give a huge boost to my acting life some years ago, so I have no regrets. But I think three is enough, I really do; I think it's more than enough.''

But can the public ever get enough of its favorite cannibal?

``There are these Internet polls that say he's the most popular villain in movie history, and when they're asked why, people say it's because of his wit,'' Tally notes. ``He's smarter than the rest of us, and he's less predictable in many ways. I guess that makes him entertaining. But it's a strange phenomenon that such a monstrous character as Lecter would become so popular, and I don't completely understand it.''

As usual, Hopkins has the most succinct last words on the subject.

``I have no idea,'' the actor says of his creation's enduring fascination. ``You have to ask a psychiatrist that.''

Different tastes: 'Manhunter' vs. 'Red Dragon'

When Michael Mann directed ``Manhunter'' in 1986, he was hot off his television success with ``Miami Vice.'' The film - despite a number of virtues - has a TV crime-procedural feel. Since then, Mann has gone on to make a number of acclaimed films, including ``Heat,'' ``The Insider'' and ``Ali.'' Interestingly, both ``Manhunter'' and ``Red Dragon,'' based on the book ``Red Dragon'' by Thomas Harris, which is the prequel to ``Silence of the Lambs,'' were shot by cinematographer Dante Spinotti - but to different effect. Here are some of the differences in the films.

THE LOOK

``Red Dragon'': This film reflects the style of Jonathan Demme's ``Silence of the Lambs'' - dark, gothic, moody. Hannibal's cell is down at the end of a long corridor leading to a cell walled off by plexiglass.

``Manhunter'': Filtered blues, greens, yellows and a lot of whites fill the screen. Hannibal's cell is painted a bright white, with a silver stainless-steel-looking sink the only color.

THE PLOT

``Red Dragon'': Deals more with Hannibal and serial killer Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), who Will Graham (Edward Norton) is chasing.

``Manhunter'': Graham's wife and son are more integral to the plot. Graham (William Peterson) describes his capture of Hannibal to his son while shopping for groceries.

HANNIBAL

``Red Dragon'': Anthony Hopkins plays him like the epitome of evil - every word, every raised eyebrow has a sinister implication. He is the linchpin that holds the film together.

``Manhunter'': Brian Cox has an almost matter-of-fact, casual attitude, as if evil is this curious hobby. His Hannibal only appears in three scenes.

DOLARHYDE

``Red Dragon'': There is more of a back story to Ralph Fiennes' character (and we're not just talking about the tattoo). He comes from a Norman Bates-like upbringing, complete with a gothic, creaky old house. And the ``transformation'' into the red dragon (see the film to understand) is integral to the film.

``Manhunter'': Tom Noonan's serial killer seems to be more of a delusional geek who grew up before video games allowed him to act out his sick fantasies.

GRAHAM

``Red Dragon'': Norton's manhunter is used as more of a way to tell the story. The audience doesn't get to see a lot of his inner working and fears.

``Manhunter'': Mann presumably changed the title for a reason. The movie is very much about Graham - how he deals with getting inside the heads of killers and how it affects his relationship with his family.

SPELLING

``Red Dragon'': It's Lecter, as it was in ``Silence of the Lambs'' and ``Hannibal.''

``Manhunter'': It's Lektor, both in the credits and on the front of The Tattler, the tabloid that follows the case in the film. In the current Thomas Harris version of the novels, it's Lecter.

- Rob Lowman

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) the dr. will see you now

Fans hungry for more Hannibal Lecter get their wish with the readaptation of `Red Dragon'

(2) Sir Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton in `Red Dragon'

(3) Hopkins

(4) Peterson

Box:

Different tastes: 'Manhunter' vs. 'Red Dragon' (see text)