Hannibal Rising

We all know Hannibal Lecter; we’ve seen Jodie Foster go white when Anthony Hopkins chillingly utters a memorable slurping noise, and laughed when he utters the famous ‘I’m having a friend for dinner’ line.
Hannibal Lecter is perhaps one of the most recognizable characters from recent movie history; the cultivated, classic feel of old English gentry often makes us forget that Hannibal is pure evil incarnate; without compassion or compulsion he would kill you and eat you. His name inspires chills down countless backs, even though he is a fictional character.

The paradox that is Hannibal, the caring gentle artistic man that also is a mass murdering cannibal has never truly been investigated or explained – it has been hinted at, but not in much detail. Hannibal Rising tries to demystify the monster, giving us some insight to the pure evil genius that is Hannibal and the events and horrors that transformed a young innocent boy into the evil we know.

Personal note – part of the intrigue of Hannibal was the fact that the evil was never truly explained – the horrors of the past were glimpsed, but not revealed. This was part of the beauty of Silence of the Lambs and left you trying to consider what could create such a monster. Having it laid out for you in specific detail demystifies the character and by doing so, diminishes the character. For me this movie was more about creating a cash cow, than answering all the ‘unanswered’ questions – it simply was an un-needed movie in my opinion.

The Story

Towards the end of World War II as the Russians sweep through Eastern Europe eradicating the Nazi threat, a group of mercenaries take over Hannibal’s family home. This event is preceded by the death of his family, aside from his sister. Not recovered from this sad and tortuous event, Hannibal is forced to endure further emotional distress as the mercenaries kill and subsequently eat his sister. This event alone is enough to almost destroy the young Hannibal and he forces himself to suppress the memories.

Read the full review here.