Hannibal

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2:17

Hannibal

R

2001

2h 11m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

176 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) escaped from custody. The doctor is now at large in Europe. Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) remembers Lecter too, and is obsessed with revenge. Verger was Dr. Lecter's sixth victim, and though horribly disfigured, has survived. Verger realizes that to draw the doctor into the open, he must use someone as bait: Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore).

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Critics Consensus

While superbly acted and stylishly filmed, Hannibal lacks the character interaction between the two leads which made the first movie so engrossing.

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

All of this opulence, together with extravagant set-pieces that go past grisly to grotesque (and then, in the climax, on to goony), can't compensate for the halting pace of a patchy script.

Jul 15, 2023

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Hannibal doesn't seem to be about anything but its own swank decadence. Hopkins, with his reedy voice and effete airs, is still quite delicious in the part that won him an Oscar. But 10 years later, Lecter has become more camp than terrifying.

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

No tension, no rhythm and no sense of purpose ... unless you count helping "Faces of Death" fans feel more evolved.

Feb 5, 2018

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Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

Big, bloody, glossy, gaudy, and wholly unnecessary.

Sep 21, 2025

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

A bizarre adaptation of a bizarre novel, one has to give credit to Hannibal for willing to go to some of the places it does. The only true blight on the picture is the horrendous handling of the Clarice Starling character.

Rated: 3/5

May 12, 2025

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Despite some great gore and a fantastic Gary Oldman performance (under heavy make-up), Ridley Scott's take on Hannibal doesn't quite work. From the blurry action to a boring Clarice to copping out on the book's controversial ending, the film is meh

Rated: 3

May 7, 2025

Full Review

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Caleb L

A sequel that loses the subtly and nuance of its predecessor, although it still has the great performances as well as an increase in gore.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

Full Review

Patrick C

'The Silence of the Lambs' was that rarest of films that became a phenomenon and entered the wider culture, and in both cases deservedly so. Its cleverest trick was to make Hannibal Lecter both an aide and a nemesis to Agent Clarice Starling. So many memorable sequences with just a few using gore sparingly to great effect. 'Hannibal' is partly set in the Renaissance splendour of Florence, which lends it a layer of sophistication the plot and direction don't really merit. It isn't a bad film by any means, but bares no comparison with its celebrated predecessor. Anthony Hopkins does his best in reprising his role as the good Doctor with unusual culinary tastes, but the surprise factor is inevitably missing second time around; director Ridley Scott ramping up the blood and guts as if to compensate. He succeeds in preventing his performance from straying into the realms of farce, despite the near absurdity of his climactic scene with a compromised Ray Liotta. Julianne Moore is credible as Starling, but with none of the complexities that Jodie Foster engendered in her relationship with Hopkins in TSOTL. So worth a watch, and I've got one last word: OINK!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/11/25

Full Review

Ed .

Not nearly as well-made as Silence of the Lambs but about as entertaining. Gruesomely so. The filmmakers gave several reasons for viewers to root for the villain.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

Full Review

Jeremy H

Saw it opening weekend with my dad.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

Full Review

John W

The plot is so slowly paced in this film. I know they did that to create an atmosphere but it was rather boring. The actors are good and there are creepy and gory scenes in this film, with a dark story too. So overall, I'm a bit conflicted.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

Full Review

Roger S

Very poorly edited. Easily trim 20 minutes or more to streamline and break the monotony. Such a disappointment after the masterpiece SOTL.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Anthony Hopkins

Hannibal Lecter

Julianne Moore

Clarice Starling

Gary Oldman

Mason Verger

Ray Liotta

Paul Krendler

Frankie Faison

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Hannibal: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) escaped from custody. The doctor is now at large in Europe. Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) remembers Lecter too, and is obsessed with revenge. Verger was Dr. Lecter's sixth victim, and though horribly disfigured, has survived. Verger realizes that to draw the doctor into the open, he must use someone as bait: Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore).

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Martha De Laurentiis, Martha De Laurentiis, Ridley Scott, Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Thomas Harris, David Mamet, Steven Zaillian
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: DeLaurentiis Productions, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: R (Some Nudity|Language|Strong Gruesome Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 9, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $165.1M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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