Manhunter

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Manhunter

R

1986

2h 0m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

121 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer -- and cannibal -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement. Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).

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Critics Consensus

Michael Mann introduces audiences to Hannibal Lecter for the first time in Manhunter, a modish thriller that fleshes out Thomas Harris' heinous creations with an elegant, chilling detachment.

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

Aug 15

Mann is a real film-maker -- one who tells a story through what you see and, worse, what you imagine. It's a serial-killer thriller of quite unusual mood, intelligence and surprise.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

Aug 15

It's only later, safely out of its grasp, that you begin to notice that for all its perverse fascination, and save for two superlative performances, Manhunter has delivered very little.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Aug 15

How do you put the mind of a murderer into a movie? Writer-director Michael Mann's irritatingly fashionable and self-consciously estheticized version of Red Dragon, entitled Manhunter, is no help.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

2d

3/4

Manhunter is celebrated as a pioneering psychological thriller and a precursor to the now-common forensic procedural. But some of Mann’s choices, and several extratextual factors, still prevent me from fully connecting with it.

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Candice Russell

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Aug 15

3.5/4

Michael Mann's mastery of the medium as its writer and director is evident in every frame of the film. He knows how to tell a story without any fat.

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John Powers

L.A. Weekly

Aug 15

Mann's stylistic preening makes Manhunter a formal shambles, a film student's wet dream, a demonic gibber of a movie. Mann may know all the tricks in the book, but he doesn't understand the book.

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Lyle

Jul 27

Excellent restoration!

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Cinema S

@cinema_sensei 1d

I really enjoyed how different this feels from the other Lecter movies. The atmosphere is cold and hypnotic, the visuals are gorgeous, and William Petersen gives the film a quiet intensity. Brian Cox is excellent too. It can feel a little too detached and slow at times, but the mood and tension kept me invested.

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Rara R

@rizzyrazzyx 2d

it’s so bad guys do not watch

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Justin W

@RT37619642 2d

How did I never see this movie until 2026? This is a masterfully made film that really showcases Michael Mann's stylistic filmmaking in the peak of the 1980s. DP, Dante Spinotti also worked with Mann on Heat, but his work on Manhunter is some of the most stunning work of his I have seen. Each scene looks incredible even with the sound off. William Petersen was fresh off of To Live and Die in LA, and there is something about his screen presence in the 80s that I really like a lot. He doesn't even need to deliver a line, just by standing in frame is powerful. He was good after the 80s too, but there is really something magical about him at this time. If you didn't know, this film takes place in the same universe as Silence of The Lambs and Red Dragon. To me this is the best film of the 3 of them. It is a bit of a slow burn, but gripping. If you love suspense, serial killer mysteries, this is one of the best you will see.

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B P

@Bradster69 4d

Definitely Recommend It

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John F

@RT84127024 Aug 25

Uneven but worth a watch for fans of Mann and of the genre. Little wonder they kept the cinematographer for the Red Dragon film. On the other hand, the score was distracting.

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Michael Mann

Director

William Petersen

Will Graham

Kim Greist

Molly Graham

Dennis Farina

Jack Crawford

Joan Allen

Reba

Brian Cox

Dr. Lecktor

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Synopsis

FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer -- and cannibal -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement. Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).

Director: Michael Mann
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Michael Mann
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Columbia, Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 1986, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $163.0K
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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