Who played Hannibal Lecter the best?

[Plissken]

Brian Cox is my favorite, he was the most realistic depiction. Hopkins was the most memorable/unique. Mads was a combo of the two.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Hopkins do sure.
Brian Cox was good too.

 

[roganisonly5foot3]

I have never heard of cox and didn’t know it existed. I will have to check it out. Hopkins and mikelson are both great. I watched every episode of the series

 

[zapataxiv]

1. Cox
2. Hopkins
3. Mikkelson

tbh I enjoy all of them but as has been mentioned cox is the most realistic
as a whole I like manhanuters characters better than red dragon/hannibal

Hopkins is great but it's campy. that being said it's iconic

Mikkelson is my boy but he clearly is in third here.

 

[Berserker13]

Brian Cox is my favorite, he was the most realistic depiction. Hopkins was the most memorable/unique. Mads was a combo of the two.

he only had like less than 5 mins screen time though.

 

[roganisonly5foot3]

Bumping this thread to remind myself to check out manhunter. I never even heard of it I had no idea that the silence of the lambs wasn’t the origins of Hannibal lecter

 

[LEWIS540]

As a nuanced, realistic character- Cox.

As a fun, camp, OTT, memorable, moustache-twirling villain- Hopkins

Mads was excellent too.

Loved all 3.

I suspect, like the Joker, it’s a role most competent actors would do really well.




Obviously Hopkins will win any poll. 75% voters will never have watched Hannibal or Manhunter. Pointless exercise.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

1. Hopkins
2. Mikkelsen
3. Cox

 

[stalehotdog]

Brian Cox in man hunter really felt like an actor playing a crazy person. Hopkins legit felt like they casted a psychopath. Martha Stewart ended up dumping his ass because of how good his portrayal was in the film.

 

[ChosenOne]

I like Brian Cox's work more.

Hopkin and Mikkelsen are so "polished" and outright "villainy" in their performances, it at times appears cartoonish/comic bookish.

Just my 'pinion.

^ same.

The Cox movie was my favorite of them all and was my best date movie, when in Uni and having a girl over for a movie for the first time. So few people had seen it at that time.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Hopkins is outstanding in that first sequence, but he's a bit too campy/over the top on the whole. Cox, meanwhile, just seemed like an average con, he brought nothing to the character to make him anything more than a regular criminal who got caught. Mikkelsen is the gold standard. He's amazing in every facet of the character. He never goes over the top, but he still manages to be terrifying, and he's able to hit subtle moments of brilliance without underplaying too much. It also helps that Hannibal is the GOAT dramatic series with outstanding writing and that he was surrounded by such incredible talent in that cast.

I loved the series and was surprised that Mads could win me over with the character the way he did Hopkins still better but Mads did a fantastic job. I Have the first two seasons on DVD couldn't find the third. I did find it strange that season 3 was pretty much a full on remake of Red Dragon/Manhunter like word for word scene for scene. I loved it it was a bit more graphic but was kinda like why are we doing this again? seems like they just ran out of original ideas. It was kinda lame changing the race and gender of some of the characters like why is Freddy Lounds a woman now? lol I did personally still enjoy it though as Red Dragon is in my top 5 all time fav movies.

 

[Bullitt68]

I Have the first two seasons on DVD couldn't find the third.

What do you mean "couldn't find" it? It's streaming and on DVD/Blu-ray like the other two.

I did find it strange that season 3 was pretty much a full on remake of Red Dragon/Manhunter like word for word scene for scene.

This was always Bryan Fuller's plan. He was going in chronological order unlike the books, but he was always eventually going to get to the books, and when he did...he'd adapt the books. And of course it's similar to Red Dragon and Manhunter. All three are adaptations of the same book. But Season 3 also included a lot of material from the third book, which was adapted into the film Hannibal, the direct sequel to The Silence of the Lambs.

It was kinda lame changing the race and gender of some of the characters like why is Freddy Lounds a woman now?

You asked why they were doing the same thing the same way AND you're criticizing when they didn't do the same thing the same way. Pretty much a no-win situation that you've set up for the show. Fuller changed things so that even people who knew the books and films would still be surprised because it meant not everything was going to happen the same way at the same time to the same people. One of the many brilliant choices in the adaptation process. There's tons of stuff from the books and the films, and a lot of it isn't just different but cleverly and meaningfully different based on what Fuller was doing with these people in the world that he created.

Red Dragon is in my top 5 all time fav movies.

For me, I think that that's the worst of all the adaptations with the worst casting. Anything that Fuller would've done in the show would've been an improvement. Whoever played Dollarhyde was never going to surpass Tom Noonan in Manhunter and Noonan's relationship with Joan Allen was much better than what was in the show, but the way that Fuller integrated Hannibal into the Graham/Dollarhyde cat-and-mouse game was yet another stroke of genius. And we haven't even talked about Gillian Anderson's Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, an entirely original creation who added so much to the series, not to mention how Laurence Fishburne's Jack Crawford continued figuring into the series.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

What do you mean "couldn't find" it? It's streaming and on DVD/Blu-ray like the other two.



This was always Bryan Fuller's plan. He was going in chronological order unlike the books, but he was always eventually going to get to the books, and when he did...he'd adapt the books. And of course it's similar to Red Dragon and Manhunter. All three are adaptations of the same book. But Season 3 also included a lot of material from the third book, which was adapted into the film Hannibal, the direct sequel to The Silence of the Lambs.



You asked why they were doing the same thing the same way AND you're criticizing when they didn't do the same thing the same way. Pretty much a no-win situation that you've set up for the show. Fuller changed things so that even people who knew the books and films would still be surprised because it meant not everything was going to happen the same way at the same time to the same people. One of the many brilliant choices in the adaptation process. There's tons of stuff from the books and the films, and a lot of it isn't just different but cleverly and meaningfully different based on what Fuller was doing with these people in the world that he created.



For me, I think that that's the worst of all the adaptations with the worst casting. Anything that Fuller would've done in the show would've been an improvement. Whoever played Dollarhyde was never going to surpass Tom Noonan in Manhunter and Noonan's relationship with Joan Allen was much better than what was in the show, but the way that Fuller integrated Hannibal into the Graham/Dollarhyde cat-and-mouse game was yet another stroke of genius. And we haven't even talked about Gillian Anderson's Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, an entirely original creation who added so much to the series, not to mention how Laurence Fishburne's Jack Crawford continued figuring into the series.

Ok I can't pick all of that apart but you are coming at me with some weird energy here. First of all making a guy a girl doesn't change that is literally the exact same script like I could call out what they were about to say in the scene or know exactly what was going to happen. Oh but its a girl instead of a guy and a black guy now intead of a white guy. Whooo makes it so much more exciting. lmao

Secondly you are wrong they were legally not even allowed to mention characters like Clarice Starling or Buffallo Bill they would have been sued to Bolivian so how could he go in chronological order if he can't even mention the other books due to copyright claims?

 

[Bullitt68]

Ok I can't pick all of that apart

Pick what apart? The aspects of the show or what I wrote?

you are coming at me with some weird energy here.

Do you really find it that weird being disagreed with? You threw out some claims, I threw out some counterclaims. Surely this isn't new to you on here.

First of all making a guy a girl doesn't change that is literally the exact same script

Stephen Lang as Freddie Lounds in Manhunter and Lara Jean Chorostecki as Freddie Lounds in Hannibal are two completely different characters. Witness the way that she used her sexuality to con cops/techs into giving her information and access in the show. Lang's Freddie couldn't have done that. That's a different character in a different storyworld.

Secondly you are wrong they were legally not even allowed to mention characters like Clarice Starling or Buffallo Bill they would have been sued to Bolivian so how could he go in chronological order if he can't even mention the other books due to copyright claims?

Do you actually know anything about the show and its creator's vision for it? Fuller had an entire seven season arc planned for the show with original material leading into the books and then ending with an original finale for Hannibal. He called an audible when he saw the writing on the wall and wrapped shit up with the Red Dragon material, but he'd originally planned on adapting each book like what Reacher is doing right now with Lee Child's books, a one book/one season format.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Pick what apart? The aspects of the show or what I wrote?



Do you really find it that weird being disagreed with? You threw out some claims, I threw out some counterclaims. Surely this isn't new to you on here.



Stephen Lang as Freddie Lounds in Manhunter and Lara Jean Chorostecki as Freddie Lounds in Hannibal are two completely different characters. Witness the way that she used her sexuality to con cops/techs into giving her information and access in the show. Lang's Freddie couldn't have done that. That's a different character in a different storyworld.



Do you actually know anything about the show and its creator's vision for it? Fuller had an entire seven season arc planned for the show with original material leading into the books and then ending with an original finale for Hannibal. He called an audible when he saw the writing on the wall and wrapped shit up with the Red Dragon material, but he'd originally planned on adapting each book like what Reacher is doing right now with Lee Child's books, a one book/one season format.

what you wrote. and you came at me with huge attitude about not being able to find season three. I went to few used cd/dvd locations and didn't find it no big deal I guess I didn't go far enough out of my way and could have done better and tried harder. I am sorry.

So are you saying this writer was legally allowed to use the characters and storyline from Silence of the Lambs? Anyway I know you are a movie buff and are more schooled in this department than I am so i am just gonna bow out. So here is a peace offering you may love it you may hate it. If you hate the song at least watch the video It's pretty cool and any fan of these movies should see it.

 

[StonedLemur]

I like Brian Cox's work more.

Hopkin and Mikkelsen are so "polished" and outright "villainy" in their performances, it at times appears cartoonish/comic bookish.

Just my 'pinion.

It might seem that way to you now with hindsight, but when that movie first came out I don't think anyone thought Hopkins was cartoonish tbf.

 

[Bullitt68]

what you wrote. and you came at me with huge attitude about not being able to find season three. I went to few used cd/dvd locations and didn't find it no big deal I guess I didn't go far enough out of my way and could have done better and tried harder. I am sorry.

That's what I asked. Since it's out there in various forms, I didn't get the struggle and failure to find it. In this day and age, "finding" media content is easier than ever. Now that you explained that you went to actual stores hoping it was in stock instead of buying it off Amazon or watching it on a streamer, it makes more sense that you literally didn't find it. No attitude, just confusion and curiosity.

So are you saying this writer was legally allowed to use the characters and storyline from Silence of the Lambs?

The Hannibal rights are really bizarre. Between the author of the books on the one side and the studios who have produced films and TV adaptations on the other, there's a lot of weirdness. The real sticking point, for whatever silly reason(s), is the characters, not the plots. Fuller would've been fine adapting the storyline for a season based on The Silence of the Lambs (like I said, he already did some Silence of the Lambs stuff in different episodes of the show) but different people/companies "own" Clarice and Hannibal. Not that a Clarice-less Silence of the Lambs season would've been an issue for Fuller's show since it was all about Will and Hannibal, plus he already did a Clarice episode with Jack's trainee. In short, that was a bridge that Fuller never even had/got to cross.

Anyway I know you are a movie buff and are more schooled in this department than I am so i am just gonna bow out. So here is a peace offering you may love it you may hate it. If you hate the song at least watch the video It's pretty cool and any fan of these movies should see it.

That is very, very, very not my taste...no pun intended.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Spencer Charnas has entered the chat...

 

[Bacco]

People will vote Hopkins
Reading books Mikkelsen feels the most spot on

 

[fungi]

It might seem that way to you now with hindsight, but when that movie first came out I don't think anyone thought Hopkins was cartoonish tbf.

We are comparing 3 performances after having watched all 3. So hindsight is appropriate in this case.

Tbh, I didn't remember much from watching it the first time. I was a wee lad, and didn't understand that shit at all.

After having rewatched it as an adult, I found his performance cartoonish. Whaddyagonedo?