Review Detail

This is a very good edit that is more in alignment with The Silence of the Lambs, which is the gold standard of Hannibal Lecter films. I love that Mason Verger is kept hidden from the audience until his meeting with Clarice, keeping things more firmly grounded in her point of view. Opening the film with the FBI raid is much more engaging than the theatrical cut.

Unfortunately, the deleted material that's been added back in is of lower quality than the rest of the film, which is a little jarring from an immersion perspective. And I must admit, I do miss some of the cheesier lines like, "Nobody beats the Riz," and, "Okey dokey." I've just gotten so used to hearing them over the years, it trips me up that they're missing, though I see why they were removed.

The ending is great. I think it's much more consistent with Hannibal's character to have him chop off Clarise's hand and keep it as a souvenir, rather than chopping off his own. Good call!