And there is Gaspard Uliel, the youngest actor to play Hannibal Lecter (well, there is a child playing Lecter in that movie as well I believe), and the only one who sadly is not here with us anymore. But yes, it would be interesting to see those three incredible actors to talk about their take on that iconic character.
As much as I adore "Silence", which is one of my favorite films, and adore how Hopkins played Lecter, I would love to peer into an alternate version of history where Cox got to reprise him in the film.
It would have been really interesting to see him opposite Foster's Starling, and how her performance would have turned out as a result. A lot of what really works about Cox's performance in Manhunter is hugely aided by William Peterson's slow boiling discomfort at being in his presence. I have no doubt that Foster is equally excellent as a scene partner, so she would have adjusted to match his energy. I imagine we would have seen a Starling that was even more drawn in and fascinated by Lecter, which would have made the violence of his escape a bigger shock.
Indeed. In that timeline, Manhunter was likely a massive critical and commercial success, thus leading to an adaptation of Silence of the Lambs that maybe comes 2-3 years sooner made more or less as a "sequel" to Manhunter. Heck, maybe even called "Manhunter 2"....and then the 3rd film likely would have come no later than the mid 90s.
I've always liked Cox's Hannibal Lecter the most. Hopkins played him like an theatre monster, Mikkelsen played him like a supervillain, and Ulliel played him like a school shooter-to-be. But Cox played him like an actual psychiatrist with a twisted mind, which is MUCH scarier
I wish he got more screen time and especially more agency in the plot, I love his performance but it feels like he was cut off before he could develop a film-stealing character the way Silence of the Lambs allowed Hopkins to do.
@@StephenDedalus74 Brian Cox is more terrifying than Anthony Hopkins , Brian was cerebral whereas Anthony Hopkins is the serpent in the garden.My favorite is Mads Micklesson , the main reason was that he resembled very similar to one of my uncles and my uncle was a psychiatrist , he was very suave and sophisticated , he could deduce things super quickly and his perception was next level.Have a nice day.
I always comment on these Cox as Lector clips so that he knows there are legions of fans who much prefer his performance in this role. You can see Hopkins acting - Cox became the character. I've been a big fan of Mr Cox ever since Manhunter!
In another interview, Cox commented that the writers kept Hannibal's role to a minimum because they realized "This guy's way too charismatic. If he's given more screentime he'll take over the movie."
Time has made Brian's performance my favorite of the bunch. It's so nuanced, quick-witted, snarky and relaxed it makes him feel like a real person which makes him the scariest. I could imagine talking to Hopkins or Mikkelsen's Lecter for 5 minutes and feel at least something fishy about them. Brian's Lecter could pick people apart in a matter of seconds just by talking to them. His natural charm and intelligence has made him my favorite.
Joseph Hitchcock . I'm swedish so I have no automatic love, personally the hannibal-series is atypical hollywood absurdity when they make Hannibal into this three-headed beast where he's insanely intelligent, insanely charming, and insanely morbid. Yeah that could work, but no one in his vicinity seems to react. That's why Anthony and Brian does it so well, Anthony shows that if someone is to genius and charming they turn into a personification of the uncanny-valley, whilst Brian showed how someone who've literally eaten childrens livers and limbs can seem so "normal" in such an abnormal way. Subjectively I don't enjoy Mads interpretation, but that's my opinion and anyone who likes it should feel free to do so. I just find it very outlandish.
@@stephenfeng9248 I think Lecter was always written to be somewhat larger than life. But...he also seemed a bit different in each film...and book. He started out very, very creepy..in Manhunter/Red Dragon. Dangerous in SOTL. Very human in "Hannibal."
Brian Cox's rendition of Hannibal Lecktor was and is completely underrated. Hopkins had his own Portrayal, obviously Mads has his own as well. But Cox for some reason...his Lecktor felt hauntingly real. Look up the scene where he first has his interview with Will, or the scene where he is on the phone. Naturalistic and frightening.
As much as I adore Anthony Hopkins in Silence of The Lambs and Mads Mikkelsen's version of Hannibal, I think Brian Cox's performance was much closer to how Hannibal Lecter would be if you met him. He had an understated charm and quick wit about him that makes it all the more scarier knowing what he is.
He was my favourite Lecter. He was a very smooth villain. He looked like someone who could easily hide among normal people and you wouldn't even guess what he was up to
Brian your portrayal leaves scars that few actors or psychopaths can realistically inflict. Your performance disturbed me and made me question my own deepest intentions. Well done Sir!!!
@Trevor Rogert You're thinking of Judgment at Nuremberg with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster. Also featured along with Shatner were two future stars of Hogan's Heroes, Werner "Colonel Klink" Klemperer and Howard "Major Hochstetter" Caine. Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, and Judy Garland had parts too. Very good movie imho.
Brian Cox is a superb Character Actor and he is probably flattered and proud that those of us who were fans of the first Thomas Harris book , Red Dragon remembered him . His part in the film was short and Hannibal Lecter was not a major character then. Yet because of the You Tube we can now see the masterful performance BRian gave as Hannibal and now as of 2018 I think he is becoming a legend just like Anthony Hopkins did. It just took awhile. I like all the Actors who have played Hannibal but now Cox's Salesman pitch manipulative personality Hannibal has become my favorite.
Brian Cox is such a great character actor. Love his work. And Manhunter, and Mr. Cox' performance in it, are every bit as good as Silence of the Lambs and Anthony Hopkins performance. They are different films, but both brilliant.
@@Senate300 That's what it didn't like about his performance. It was too low-key. He didn't give it enough flavor or panache. Might as well been playing an accountant serving time for fraud.
@@alexpilgrim8248 Either that or Money Laundering and insider trading. Brian Cox felt more grounded in reality. With Anthony Hopkins there was that sense of dread that he would kill you at any moment.
He will always be the original Dr. Lecter to me. The "normality" that he spoke of, and that he portrayed in "Manhunter", is what really made his character even spookier for me. Great Actor.
First time I watched Brian Cox was in Braveheart. I have seen him in other films since, I loved the character he played Ivan Simanov Helen Mirren's Love interest. Both of these films, which were action comedy/action were awesome Brian Cox is an excellent actor. I like him, other may have other opinions.
Let’s just appreciate that the character Hannibal Lector has had some amazing actors to play him. I think Cox phone scene was better than Hopkins or Mad version of it.
This interviewer must be having a "senior moment" or something! Brian has a bit of a brain fart, granted, but the interviewer, even AFTER Brian mentions the long fingers and that Robert Englund played him numerous times STILL doesn't know who he's talking about??!! C'mon dude-do your homework !!
Brian gives a great insight when he speaks of how much it really does increase the scariness of a character when there is that sense of normality to them. The more recent portrayal of Gus in Breaking Bad is the best example I can think of. He was as well-spoken and prosaic as any well-to-do person, and for that reason, his alter-ego was absolutely chilling. It all comes down to believability -- the true essence of acting.
Giancarlo Esposito was fantastic in that role. He could be so pleasant and accomodating and then he could give you that stare that would freeze your blood.
My wife still likes Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor the best, but her favorite role and I know it's not PC Uncle Gary in "The Ringer". We also like him on "Succession".
Funny, with most people, they know exactly who Freddy Krueger is, but don't know the name of the actor who portrayed him. With Brian Cox, it is the exact opposite.
On the Manhunt DVD extras Cox said a reporter called him and asked him if he was the first Hannibal Lector, and he said "Yes, that's correct". Next day in the Newspaper in large print there's Cox's face screaming "I WAS THE FIRST HANNIBAL LECTOR"! Cox then later quipped that that the only thing he regretted about the role was the money. Cox's Lector is quite fearsome for the few minutes he gets, he's very no nonsense and intimidating, he's doesn't have this suave sophistication that hides a monster that the other actors portray Lector as.
There was nothing typical about Hopkins' performance. It was the uniqueness of it that left such a strong impression on so many people and made the role iconic.
I thought Brian Cox was a great Hannibal Lecter or Lecktor (as it is in Manhunter) but Anthony Hopkins, though somewhat campy he just felt more real to me and was scarier as well.
A never saw "Man Hunter" but I saw a snippet of it on YT recently, specifically when Will Graham visits Lector in his cells for the first time. And gotta say, although "Man Hunter" came first, there are elements from that particular scene that sorta resonated in "Red Dragon" 30 years later. William Peterson carried the same demeanor as Edward Norton, and Brain Cox had the same, what you could call, the "Kubrick Stare" that Anthony Hopkins did for "Silence of the Lambs". So although none of the cast for "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" referenced "Man Hunter" for their performance; For that one brief scene in Lector's cell, you could see some similarities.
I’m not sure it’s worth the energy to compare these actors in these roles. The movies had different tones. Hopkins and foster exist inside the aesthetic of Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins and Norton the same thing. I think in those movies the idea was to lean more towards the horror genre, where Cox in Manhunter was much more of a crime drama / thriller.
Brian Cox elaborated on this in his interview on the Shout Factory Blu-ray, saying that Manhunter is very clinical with its treatment of Hannibal Lecter, whereas Silence is almost gothic.
What i loved about his performance as Hannibal is you could see the hatred and resentment in his eyes for Will Graham, the guy that had caught him. You got a sense it was a ego thing also that this FBI profiler who was coming to him for advice in the past like he was the apprentice caught the master. Coxs performance conveyed that feeling.
@@mikemcgrath6150 i know what you mean. I think with coxs Lector it was the fact that he had been beat by some FBI profiler that was coming to him for advice and he's the great Dr Lector plus he knew Grahams progress on the case because he was involved as a advisor himself on it. When Lector leaves that message for the tooth fairy giving Will Grahams address saying kill them kill them all very bluntly, it was a act of revenge against Graham for catching him.
@@mrmeerkat1096 I wonder about that also. Hannibal operating at a superior intellect is many moves ahead of will. He definitely put the guy there and it could have gone badly for will and his family but maybe lecter knew it could also end the way it did. His mo was to kill the father first, I think, and then the kids and the rape the mother last and kill her. Knowing will and his abilities, maybe figured will would take him. Eh who knows.
@@mikemcgrath6150 yes its very interesting. I think Lector lived a brilliant life as a highly respected doctor ,a genius at what he did and he knows he's alot smarter than everybody else, then kind of out of nowhere some FBI profiler beats Lector at his favourite game. The hit to his ego must be bad. Plus Lector who thought he was invincible is stuck in a cell not beaten by some person who is considered a top intellectual or by a top organisation but some downtrodden FBI guy who says himself hes nothing special. That wouldn't be lost on Lector at all. Thomas Harris has created a really good iconic character. Manhunter and the silence of the lambs are brilliant and the novel Hannibal is alot better than the film we got.
@@mrmeerkat1096 I think lecter touched upon their connection, imagination. Will not his intellectual equal but has an exceptional imagination that allowed him to see what others maybe smarter couldn't. Others have mentioned lecter's damaged ego but I don't see it. Hes hostile toward will but I mostly see him challenging him to better understand himself. Maybe we see what we identify with.
He is so brilliant!! The real evil, the one I am so scare of, its the one that it is not obvious, it is hidden behind the normality of a persons behavior, there is no sign to let you know you are looking evil in the eye. I like his Dr Lecter because, he could be whoever person you might encounter.
They are really different characters He’s right, Hopkin’s Lecter is very campy in a way, it’s an incredible performance, but the Lecter from Cox is much more realistic. I enjoy Mikkelsen’s Lecter for the same reason, he is very human. It becomes believable. Hopkins’ Lecter is more of a “character”
I really can't fault a serious actor and a grown ass man for not remembering the name of a character in a franchise of formulaic dead teenager movies. And don't tell me how much money those things made; it just reinforces my point.
2:49 and this is why Brian Cox is my favorite Hannibal Lecter: he feels more like an actual serial killer who's trying to maintain a mask of normality when interacting with others.
Spoiler alert. Don't read this if you haven't watched Manhunter and might..... Brian was a gentleman in talking about Anthony Hopkins playing the Lecter character after he did. It was "Lecktor" in Manhunter There is no comparison. What I found so unusual about Manhunter in hindsight after seeing both movies, was that I didn't know any of the actors when I saw Manhunter when it was released in 1986-William Petersen, Brian Cox, Tom Noonan, Joan Allen, Dennis Farina. In the case of Silence, I knew the lead actors-Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, so the movie was a set of very good actors playing roles very well. That's what a movie viewer hopes for. That's why good actors continue to draw audiences. In Manhunter, the actors were their characters, as I had no preconceptions about them, but the script was excellent, they were well directed and they did terrific jobs. When I looked at Cox in Manhunter, I was looking, not at Cox in role, but at a brilliant psychiatrist who, as profiler Will Graham told him from the other side of the bars in the forensic hospital when Lecter asked him how he caught him, "You had disadvantages." "What disadvantages?" Lecter asks. Graham responds, "You're insane." It's the only time in any scene with Lecktor when, for a moment, he is unnerved. Also, Tom Noonan who played the Tooth Fairy who was the subject of the manhunt, didn't allow any of the actors who would play against him to see him in advance of filming and was always in character on set. As a result, everyone was scared of him whenever he appeared. As usual in a Michael Mann movie, the sound track was powerful and added tremendously to the mood of each scene. I can't hear In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida without thinking of the final scene in Manhunter. The other unusual dimension of Manhunter was Graham projecting himself inside the head of a very skilled profiler and detective as he pieces together clues, step by step, with his visualization of what the killer saw and his speculation about the mindset of a very demented individual. I later read the book Mindhunter, written by John Douglas, the FBI agent who developed profiling on whom the Will Graham character was based. Fascinating account of the evolution of profiling. I haven't bothered to see any of the other movies with the Hannibal Lecter character.
I think so , the way he talks about Hopkins being a "stage actor" for not recognizing him as a movie actor , sounds like he is mad about Hopkins success in being lecter .
@@Theomite I think missed opportunities led to some jealousy towards Hopkins .Sadly. When he first mentions that both of them have the same agent, it really sounds like "I got really fucked up by people I trusted in this story" this is what I see but I might be wrong. Cox is a brilliant actor , the problem with his acting in this case is that he plays a normal dude .Some would say that serial killers are indeed normal dudes for they can be your neighbors. That is partly wrong .They are not normal , they "act" normal, they hide. They will never be normal. Specially when they are caught and put behind bars.There , they have no reason to hide anymore . Many people who actually met serial killers testified that some of them really liked to scare the shit out of some visitors , such as journalists or psychologists, etc...They would enjoy playing with them.A journalist who had interviewed a serial killer years ago , reported that , one day , during an interview and when they were not separated by a glass , the man took some pleasure to slowly slide across the table , to touch the journalist's nose whith his .All of that staring at him and without saying a word. And I think Hopkins understood it very well.He understood that he had to play a serial killer behind bars,a man with a specific and complex personality, and a superior intelligence . When Lecter was outside (and you can see that at the beginning of Red Dragon ) he acted very polite with people , very gentle .His behaviors were the ones of a very well educated man, ready to help. Inside a jail , a serial killer can be truly himself. Silence of the Lambs is about a serial killer living in jail for years being visited by a federal agent.Which is , in Lecter ' situation ,the occasion to satisfy his thirst for control and power , it also brings a female presence. I think , and that is completely personal , that as an actor playing a serial killer or another terrible figure , you can't base the fear you inspire in the audience on informations this audience already has before seeing your character for the first time. Such as "that guy killed many people " or "careful he is very dangerous " for example.That is just my opinion .Soory for the long comment .
@@stephenfeng9248 Well, keep in mind that when Lecter's in prison, he's outed, so aside from his mind games, there's no use hiding his personality. Cox focused on Lecter's contempt and bitterness, which made the character more "realistic" while Hopkins focused on his ego, which is where the somewhat "fey" dandy flirting with the camera comes from. This flair is what made Lecter such an icon with LAMBS so it's easy to see why Coxs' Lecter would be forgotten. That and MANHUNTER is a terrible movie. The cast is great, but it was back when Mann was still making hyper-stylized melodramatic action movies. He hadn't learned how to temper the visuals and tone properly so it just doesn't look right; you'd never know that MANHUNTER was made by the same guy who made HEAT, but he was 10 years behind in practice. Plus, it was the '80s, after all. But if you watch Hopkins, notice that all of Lecter's evil is in the eyes. His face works like a mask, augmenting the impression he wants to give, which is why he's so creepy. He lets his face do all the emoting/acting to compensate for the eyes that never change. Watch it again and notice how Hopkins barely moves his eyebrows...he moves his goddamn *eyelids.* He uses his fucking *eyelids* to express emotion in Lecter, not his eyebrows. I still have no fucking idea to this day how he did that.
@@Theomite yeah that's what I said , I think youtube has a bug did you get all that I wrote ? or was it only 3 lines or something ? tell me .Then to answer what you said : I think ,based on what I explained earlier (and I hope you got it cuz it was pretty long and I don't want to write it again and I hope youtube is not freezing or something ) that's why Hopkins as Lecter is way more realistic. I agree , Manhunter is , without a doubt , a terrible movie .The director didn't seem to realize what he had in his hands , the possibilities, etc...it looks like a bad TV movie .Just the asylum, making it look like an Apple store was a terrible mistake ....
I didn't know he based his Lecter on Peter Manuel. Dam! you know something, I was watching Cape Fear with my brother one time and I said to him, it's a long shot but maybe Max Cady was based on Peter Manuel because of the way Cady acted. He laughed and said i doubt it very much. But now Brian has just said his Lecter was based on Manuel. I knew i was on to something.
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When are yall gonna interview Paula DeAnda
Hands down it’s a better film.
I need Brian Cox,Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen to do a podcast together talking about how each of them approached the role of Hannibal Lecter
Atleast you didn't write "we" need
And there is Gaspard Uliel, the youngest actor to play Hannibal Lecter (well, there is a child playing Lecter in that movie as well I believe), and the only one who sadly is not here with us anymore. But yes, it would be interesting to see those three incredible actors to talk about their take on that iconic character.
or get them all in a film together!!
@@darktrain1971 Enter the Hanni-Verse? 🤦🏻♂️
@@Bale4BondHannibal: No Way Home 😂
Brian Cox is underrated in everything
Brian cox was great as Hannibal Lector in Manhunter and he is also a very good actor.
Cox can do scary and scarred characters beautifully.... remember him playing the farmer in The Ring
His voice is really charming
Dream much Will?
I actually prefer his Lector
The better was Hopkins. Cow was sedated in his portrayal and perfectly fitted with the sterile movie it is.
It takes a certain kind of actor to be able to refer to Sir Anthony Hopkins as "Tony"
"Tony"...Yeah! I'm an actor now!
Tony doesn’t like bein called Anthony n being all formal
Nick Mattio He seems very down to Earth in his interviews. He never calls himself a movie star, he says he's a movie actor...sometimes.
I think Hopkins is called Tony more often then Anthony.
And Brian Cox is just that man.
As much as I adore "Silence", which is one of my favorite films, and adore how Hopkins played Lecter, I would love to peer into an alternate version of history where Cox got to reprise him in the film.
It would have been really interesting to see him opposite Foster's Starling, and how her performance would have turned out as a result. A lot of what really works about Cox's performance in Manhunter is hugely aided by William Peterson's slow boiling discomfort at being in his presence. I have no doubt that Foster is equally excellent as a scene partner, so she would have adjusted to match his energy. I imagine we would have seen a Starling that was even more drawn in and fascinated by Lecter, which would have made the violence of his escape a bigger shock.
Indeed. In that timeline, Manhunter was likely a massive critical and commercial success, thus leading to an adaptation of Silence of the Lambs that maybe comes 2-3 years sooner made more or less as a "sequel" to Manhunter. Heck, maybe even called "Manhunter 2"....and then the 3rd film likely would have come no later than the mid 90s.
I've always liked Cox's Hannibal Lecter the most. Hopkins played him like an theatre monster, Mikkelsen played him like a supervillain, and Ulliel played him like a school shooter-to-be. But Cox played him like an actual psychiatrist with a twisted mind, which is MUCH scarier
No Cox played him as a COLOSSAL dick. He wasn’t scary at all. He was just a prick
Nah.
Mikkelsen is actually amazing because he is not a real thing as Lecter would never be.
I like them both but prefer Brian's
100%
Brian Cox is an awesome Hannibal ,he is terrifying.
I wish he got more screen time and especially more agency in the plot, I love his performance but it feels like he was cut off before he could develop a film-stealing character the way Silence of the Lambs allowed Hopkins to do.
No he was just an unlikeable asshole
The BEST if you ask me :)
@@StephenDedalus74 Brian Cox is more terrifying than Anthony Hopkins , Brian was cerebral whereas Anthony Hopkins is the serpent in the garden.My favorite is Mads Micklesson , the main reason was that he resembled very similar to one of my uncles and my uncle was a psychiatrist , he was very suave and sophisticated , he could deduce things super quickly and his perception was next level.Have a nice day.
I always comment on these Cox as Lector clips so that he knows there are legions of fans who much prefer his performance in this role. You can see Hopkins acting - Cox became the character. I've been a big fan of Mr Cox ever since Manhunter!
"Do you dream much Will?", oohhh.... the way he did that line in Manhunter just shot a chill up your spine.
calkelpdiver ‘smell yourself’ the way he delivers that whole scene and the line as will leaves the room
In another interview, Cox commented that the writers kept Hannibal's role to a minimum because they realized "This guy's way too charismatic. If he's given more screentime he'll take over the movie."
he should have
He did that, regardless. Red Dragon was made to capitalize on the fame Hopkins brought to the character, but I think Cox's portrayal is superior.
That's what happened with Silence of the Lambs.
I really wish the movie was more centered on cox.
Hannibal's role in Red Dragon is minimal as it is.... He literally only has like three or four scenes 😂
Time has made Brian's performance my favorite of the bunch. It's so nuanced, quick-witted, snarky and relaxed it makes him feel like a real person which makes him the scariest. I could imagine talking to Hopkins or Mikkelsen's Lecter for 5 minutes and feel at least something fishy about them. Brian's Lecter could pick people apart in a matter of seconds just by talking to them. His natural charm and intelligence has made him my favorite.
I love the Silence of the Lambs but Manhunter is so damn good and was ahead of it's time
"You're insane."
Nah...Cox would probably bore me to death. But the whole point is to sense something fishy about these people just like regular psychopaths.
Hopkins played Lecter with great theatrics, but I've always admired Cox's performance due to the realism.
More restrained?
Hopkins was damn good as the character, but Cox played the character as the most realistic and more to the book in Red Dragon.
Thoughts on Mads' performance, in comparison?
Joseph Hitchcock . I'm swedish so I have no automatic love, personally the hannibal-series is atypical hollywood absurdity when they make Hannibal into this three-headed beast where he's insanely intelligent, insanely charming, and insanely morbid. Yeah that could work, but no one in his vicinity seems to react. That's why Anthony and Brian does it so well, Anthony shows that if someone is to genius and charming they turn into a personification of the uncanny-valley, whilst Brian showed how someone who've literally eaten childrens livers and limbs can seem so "normal" in such an abnormal way. Subjectively I don't enjoy Mads interpretation, but that's my opinion and anyone who likes it should feel free to do so. I just find it very outlandish.
Agreed! If you read the books, Cox portrayal of Hannibal was spot on while Hopkins was more theatrical.
no , Hopkins was more realistic .
@@stephenfeng9248 I think Lecter was always written to be somewhat larger than life. But...he also seemed a bit different in each film...and book. He started out very, very creepy..in Manhunter/Red Dragon. Dangerous in SOTL. Very human in "Hannibal."
Brian Cox's rendition of Hannibal Lecktor was and is completely underrated. Hopkins had his own Portrayal, obviously Mads has his own as well. But Cox for some reason...his Lecktor felt hauntingly real. Look up the scene where he first has his interview with Will, or the scene where he is on the phone. Naturalistic and frightening.
Mr Cox did a fantstic performance in "Manhunter", it still haunts me. Thank you Mr Cox.
fantastic...
smell yourself
This dude did Super Troopers and owned it. Love Brian in everything!
As much as I adore Anthony Hopkins in Silence of The Lambs and Mads Mikkelsen's version of Hannibal, I think Brian Cox's performance was much closer to how Hannibal Lecter would be if you met him. He had an understated charm and quick wit about him that makes it all the more scarier knowing what he is.
Brian you blew us all away!!! Your performance was nothing less than incredible ✨️
He was my favourite Lecter. He was a very smooth villain. He looked like someone who could easily hide among normal people and you wouldn't even guess what he was up to
Brian your portrayal leaves scars that few actors or psychopaths can realistically inflict. Your performance disturbed me and made me question my own deepest intentions. Well done Sir!!!
Think one of the reasons cox's lecktor is looked back fondly on is that we only saw him for a couple of scenes. You really wanted to see more of him
Brian Cox is as real as it gets. A living legend.
The first time I saw that film, especially the scene with phone and gum rapper, it gave me the chills. Brilliant.
One of my favorite Cox performances was of Hermann Goering in the miniseries Nuremberg.
He's scarily believable in that role...
@Trevor Rogert You're thinking of Judgment at Nuremberg with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster. Also featured along with Shatner were two future stars of Hogan's Heroes, Werner "Colonel Klink" Klemperer and Howard "Major Hochstetter" Caine. Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, and Judy Garland had parts too. Very good movie imho.
"Evil, real evil, is something that is so scaringly normal, that it becomes really nasty"
Very true
Many actors played James Bond and each actor bring something unique to the character.
The same goes for Hannibal.
Brian Cox is a superb Character Actor and he is probably flattered and proud that those of us who were fans of the first Thomas Harris book , Red Dragon remembered him . His part in the film was short and Hannibal Lecter was not a major character then. Yet because of the You Tube we can now see the masterful performance BRian gave as Hannibal and now as of 2018 I think he is becoming a legend just like Anthony Hopkins did. It just took awhile. I like all the Actors who have played Hannibal but now Cox's Salesman pitch manipulative personality Hannibal has become my favorite.
Let us not forget the Mr Cox was the first and in my opinion, the best.
Hopkins the best
@@stephenfeng9248 depends on how u compare them hopkins got 3 films brain got 10 minutes at most
@@stephenfeng9248 Cox = realistic
Hopkins = Dracula type, not how serial killers act
Cox’s eye flutter when given Wills address still chills me to the f’’king bone.
God, what a command of the English language he has. I'm jealous.
What a legend. Brian Cox was brilliant in his role, and so was Hopkins.
Brian Cox is such a great character actor. Love his work. And Manhunter, and Mr. Cox' performance in it, are every bit as good as Silence of the Lambs and Anthony Hopkins performance. They are different films, but both brilliant.
Tony was theatrical, Brian played the reality of serial killers.
Brian's Lecter sounded like a corporate CEO in a boardroom meeting. Hopkins Lecter was a Devil incarnate seeking for souls to claim.
@@Senate300 That's what it didn't like about his performance. It was too low-key. He didn't give it enough flavor or panache. Might as well been playing an accountant serving time for fraud.
@@alexpilgrim8248 Either that or Money Laundering and insider trading. Brian Cox felt more grounded in reality. With Anthony Hopkins there was that sense of dread that he would kill you at any moment.
Hopkins was so hammy and over the top he may as well have been playing in a spoof film
@@Senate300 Have you seen Succession ? He's perfection in it.
brian ages like a fine wine..fantastic actor..his version of lektor leaves an impression to say the least!
He will always be the original Dr. Lecter to me. The "normality" that he spoke of, and that he portrayed in "Manhunter", is what really made his character even spookier for me. Great Actor.
First time I watched Brian Cox was in Braveheart. I have seen him in other films since, I loved the character he played Ivan Simanov Helen Mirren's Love interest. Both of these films, which were action comedy/action were awesome Brian Cox is an excellent actor. I like him, other may have other opinions.
He's so good in Running With Scissors.
Let’s just appreciate that the character Hannibal Lector has had some amazing actors to play him. I think Cox phone scene was better than Hopkins or Mad version of it.
Cox's Hannibal really is one of the best. My personal favourite.
Freddy Krueger has the "long fingers".
Jules Bedeau So did Uma Thurman in " Even cowgirls get the blues."
This interviewer must be having a "senior moment" or something! Brian has a bit of a brain fart, granted, but the interviewer, even AFTER Brian mentions the long fingers and that Robert Englund played him numerous times STILL doesn't know who he's talking about??!! C'mon dude-do your homework !!
I immediately said "Nosferatu." I was way off base apparently.
@@NextExiter I ws thinking the same.
Long fingers. Could have meant Edward Scissorhands or Wolverine.
His role in Super Troopers was his best performance, hands down.
SHENANIGANS!
Brian cox est de loin le meilleur interprète de Hannibal lector 👍
Manhunter is a lot better film than Red Dragon.
I agree, Red Dragon sucked.
It is better than Silence of the Lambs, aswell.
Better than Ridley Scott's Hannibal too
Silence Of The Lambs is superior I think
Your Mom
MUCH better, indeed. Michael Mann is also one of my favorite directors, and does crime films even better than Scorsese IMO.
Cox' interpretation still stands the test of time. His realization is the most realistic, which makes it the most terrifying.
Brian gives a great insight when he speaks of how much it really does increase the scariness of a character when there is that sense of normality to them. The more recent portrayal of Gus in Breaking Bad is the best example I can think of. He was as well-spoken and prosaic as any well-to-do person, and for that reason, his alter-ego was absolutely chilling. It all comes down to believability -- the true essence of acting.
Giancarlo Esposito was fantastic in that role. He could be so pleasant and accomodating and then he could give you that stare that would freeze your blood.
Thank you Mickael Mann ❤️✌️❤️
This man is the voice of "the director" in the game Manhunt. He is awesome
Hopkins was scary, but Cox's performance made my skin crawl.
Bravo, Brian Cox you really got Hannibal Lecter.
My wife still likes Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor the best, but her favorite role and I know it's not PC Uncle Gary in "The Ringer". We also like him on "Succession".
Brian Cox's Hannibal was wonderful-it was basically the best part about Manhunter.
I like the different approaches.
Hopkins was brilliant, but damn if I'm not curious to see what Silence of the Lambs would've been like if Cox came back.
Brian's Lecter was a surgeon, the way he found Graham's address was chilling and believable.
Lecter’s phone call to get Grahams home address was Ingenius!
Unpopular opinion: I liked Brian Cox's version of Hannibal Lecter more than Anthony Hopkins version. Even though Hopkins did a great job.
He was AWESOME in Super Troopers. I genuinely didn't know he is British.
Cox is the best lecter
The first one, the best one. Perfect movie.
It's such an underrated performance.
both equally good in my opinion. just depends what mood im in
I like how Brian takes it like Shakespeare character. Everyone has their own version. Each actor has their own version.
Cox's Hannibal is much more disturbing than hopkins' version.
I really wish the movie was more centered on him, he was just mesmerizing
Funny, with most people, they know exactly who Freddy Krueger is, but don't know the name of the actor who portrayed him. With Brian Cox, it is the exact opposite.
I came here looking for this comment. Completely agree. I thought that was really interesting.
Loved his realism in the role.
On the Manhunt DVD extras Cox said a reporter called him and asked him if he was the first Hannibal Lector, and he said "Yes, that's correct". Next day in the Newspaper in large print there's Cox's face screaming "I WAS THE FIRST HANNIBAL LECTOR"! Cox then later quipped that that the only thing he regretted about the role was the money. Cox's Lector is quite fearsome for the few minutes he gets, he's very no nonsense and intimidating, he's doesn't have this suave sophistication that hides a monster that the other actors portray Lector as.
Brian Cox is a great actor in role after role
The first and the best version of Hannibal lecter!
His performance was so more subtle and menacing
Anthony Hopkins Lector - Typical horror movie killer
Brian Cox Lector - Killer that lives among us
There was nothing typical about Hopkins' performance. It was the uniqueness of it that left such a strong impression on so many people and made the role iconic.
I thought Brian Cox was a great Hannibal Lecter or Lecktor (as it is in Manhunter) but Anthony Hopkins, though somewhat campy he just felt more real to me and was scarier as well.
Brian Cox is the first and better is so great.
El primer hannibal ,,excelente✌👍👌
"Give me the file Will"...Cox's portrayal of Lecter chilled my blood and I can't say that about Hopkins's.
A never saw "Man Hunter" but I saw a snippet of it on YT recently, specifically when Will Graham visits Lector in his cells for the first time. And gotta say, although "Man Hunter" came first, there are elements from that particular scene that sorta resonated in "Red Dragon" 30 years later. William Peterson carried the same demeanor as Edward Norton, and Brain Cox had the same, what you could call, the "Kubrick Stare" that Anthony Hopkins did for "Silence of the Lambs".
So although none of the cast for "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" referenced "Man Hunter" for their performance; For that one brief scene in Lector's cell, you could see some similarities.
3:12 Hello?????? Freddy?
I’m not sure it’s worth the energy to compare these actors in these roles. The movies had different tones. Hopkins and foster exist inside the aesthetic of Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins and Norton the same thing. I think in those movies the idea was to lean more towards the horror genre, where Cox in Manhunter was much more of a crime drama / thriller.
Brian Cox elaborated on this in his interview on the Shout Factory Blu-ray, saying that Manhunter is very clinical with its treatment of Hannibal Lecter, whereas Silence is almost gothic.
Brian Cox's Lecter is cold and terrifying
What i loved about his performance as Hannibal is you could see the hatred and resentment in his eyes for Will Graham, the guy that had caught him. You got a sense it was a ego thing also that this FBI profiler who was coming to him for advice in the past like he was the apprentice caught the master. Coxs performance conveyed that feeling.
I wonder. U often hear a sense of relief from these guys that's it over. And if noone ever caught him noone would ever know it was him.
@@mikemcgrath6150 i know what you mean. I think with coxs Lector it was the fact that he had been beat by some FBI profiler that was coming to him for advice and he's the great Dr Lector plus he knew Grahams progress on the case because he was involved as a advisor himself on it. When Lector leaves that message for the tooth fairy giving Will Grahams address saying kill them kill them all very bluntly, it was a act of revenge against Graham for catching him.
@@mrmeerkat1096 I wonder about that also. Hannibal operating at a superior intellect is many moves ahead of will. He definitely put the guy there and it could have gone badly for will and his family but maybe lecter knew it could also end the way it did. His mo was to kill the father first, I think, and then the kids and the rape the mother last and kill her. Knowing will and his abilities, maybe figured will would take him. Eh who knows.
@@mikemcgrath6150 yes its very interesting. I think Lector lived a brilliant life as a highly respected doctor ,a genius at what he did and he knows he's alot smarter than everybody else, then kind of out of nowhere some FBI profiler beats Lector at his favourite game. The hit to his ego must be bad. Plus Lector who thought he was invincible is stuck in a cell not beaten by some person who is considered a top intellectual or by a top organisation but some downtrodden FBI guy who says himself hes nothing special. That wouldn't be lost on Lector at all. Thomas Harris has created a really good iconic character. Manhunter and the silence of the lambs are brilliant and the novel Hannibal is alot better than the film we got.
@@mrmeerkat1096 I think lecter touched upon their connection, imagination. Will not his intellectual equal but has an exceptional imagination that allowed him to see what others maybe smarter couldn't. Others have mentioned lecter's damaged ego but I don't see it. Hes hostile toward will but I mostly see him challenging him to better understand himself. Maybe we see what we identify with.
Great respect for the fact he remembered Robert Englunds name before Freddy Kruegers.
Brian Cox’s “Lecter” was more practical than Hopkins one 🤷♂️
He is so brilliant!! The real evil, the one I am so scare of, its the one that it is not obvious, it is hidden behind the normality of a persons behavior, there is no sign to let you know you are looking evil in the eye. I like his Dr Lecter because, he could be whoever person you might encounter.
They are really different characters
He’s right, Hopkin’s Lecter is very campy in a way, it’s an incredible performance, but the Lecter from Cox is much more realistic. I enjoy Mikkelsen’s Lecter for the same reason, he is very human. It becomes believable. Hopkins’ Lecter is more of a “character”
campy ?ahahahah no .Hopkins is realistic .Cox and Mads are underacting .
The way I see it
Mikkelsen is Lecter in hiding
Hopkins is Lecter putting on a performance (for Clarice)
Cox is Lecter in with no masks.
@@tmage23 the opposite ,Hopkins is Lecter from the inside ,Mads is just himself ,not really Lecter
3:03...Freddy Krugger is what he's trying to remember....
I really can't fault a serious actor and a grown ass man for not remembering the name of a character in a franchise of formulaic dead teenager movies. And don't tell me how much money those things made; it just reinforces my point.
I really enjoy Cox portrayal of Hannibal but Anthony Hopkins was truly an amazing performance.
In an alternate universe Brian cox is Hannibal for 3 movies lol
How Manhunter never crossed my path I will never know!! Never ever heard of it. Smh!!
Bc ur a second rater.
2:49 and this is why Brian Cox is my favorite Hannibal Lecter: he feels more like an actual serial killer who's trying to maintain a mask of normality when interacting with others.
Cox was far superior 🏆💯
I saw Silence of the Lambs before I went to jail.
I watched Manhunter after I got out.
Now he’d be an even better Hannibal.
Spoiler alert. Don't read this if you haven't watched Manhunter and might..... Brian was a gentleman in talking about Anthony Hopkins playing the Lecter character after he did. It was "Lecktor" in Manhunter There is no comparison. What I found so unusual about Manhunter in hindsight after seeing both movies, was that I didn't know any of the actors when I saw Manhunter when it was released in 1986-William Petersen, Brian Cox, Tom Noonan, Joan Allen, Dennis Farina. In the case of Silence, I knew the lead actors-Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, so the movie was a set of very good actors playing roles very well. That's what a movie viewer hopes for. That's why good actors continue to draw audiences. In Manhunter, the actors were their characters, as I had no preconceptions about them, but the script was excellent, they were well directed and they did terrific jobs. When I looked at Cox in Manhunter, I was looking, not at Cox in role, but at a brilliant psychiatrist who, as profiler Will Graham told him from the other side of the bars in the forensic hospital when Lecter asked him how he caught him, "You had disadvantages." "What disadvantages?" Lecter asks. Graham responds, "You're insane." It's the only time in any scene with Lecktor when, for a moment, he is unnerved. Also, Tom Noonan who played the Tooth Fairy who was the subject of the manhunt, didn't allow any of the actors who would play against him to see him in advance of filming and was always in character on set. As a result, everyone was scared of him whenever he appeared. As usual in a Michael Mann movie, the sound track was powerful and added tremendously to the mood of each scene. I can't hear In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida without thinking of the final scene in Manhunter. The other unusual dimension of Manhunter was Graham projecting himself inside the head of a very skilled profiler and detective as he pieces together clues, step by step, with his visualization of what the killer saw and his speculation about the mindset of a very demented individual. I later read the book Mindhunter, written by John Douglas, the FBI agent who developed profiling on whom the Will Graham character was based. Fascinating account of the evolution of profiling. I haven't bothered to see any of the other movies with the Hannibal Lecter character.
Brian Cox secretly devastated
I think so , the way he talks about Hopkins being a "stage actor" for not recognizing him as a movie actor , sounds like he is mad about Hopkins success in being lecter .
Hopefully its only about money and missed opportunities and not any actual malice towards Hopkins. I wanna see these guys in the same movie one day.
@@Theomite I think missed opportunities led to some jealousy towards Hopkins .Sadly.
When he first mentions that both of them have the same agent, it really sounds like "I got really fucked up by people I trusted in this story" this is what I see but I might be wrong.
Cox is a brilliant actor , the problem with his acting in this case is that he plays a normal dude .Some would say that serial killers are indeed normal dudes for they can be your neighbors. That is partly wrong .They are not normal , they "act" normal, they hide.
They will never be normal. Specially when they are caught and put behind bars.There , they have no reason to hide anymore . Many people who actually met serial killers testified that some of them really liked to scare the shit out of some visitors , such as journalists or psychologists, etc...They would enjoy playing with them.A journalist who had interviewed a serial killer years ago , reported that , one day , during an interview and when they were not separated by a glass , the man took some pleasure to slowly slide across the table , to touch the journalist's nose whith his .All of that staring at him and without saying a word.
And I think Hopkins understood it very well.He understood that he had to play a serial killer behind bars,a man with a specific and complex personality, and a superior intelligence . When Lecter was outside (and you can see that at the beginning of Red Dragon ) he acted very polite with people , very gentle .His behaviors were the ones of a very well educated man, ready to help.
Inside a jail , a serial killer can be truly himself.
Silence of the Lambs is about a serial killer living in jail for years being visited by a federal agent.Which is , in Lecter ' situation ,the occasion to satisfy his thirst for control and power , it also brings a female presence.
I think , and that is completely personal , that as an actor playing a serial killer or another terrible figure , you can't base the fear you inspire in the audience on informations this audience already has before seeing your character for the first time. Such as "that guy killed many people " or "careful he is very dangerous " for example.That is just my opinion .Soory for the long comment .
@@stephenfeng9248 Well, keep in mind that when Lecter's in prison, he's outed, so aside from his mind games, there's no use hiding his personality. Cox focused on Lecter's contempt and bitterness, which made the character more "realistic" while Hopkins focused on his ego, which is where the somewhat "fey" dandy flirting with the camera comes from. This flair is what made Lecter such an icon with LAMBS so it's easy to see why Coxs' Lecter would be forgotten. That and MANHUNTER is a terrible movie. The cast is great, but it was back when Mann was still making hyper-stylized melodramatic action movies. He hadn't learned how to temper the visuals and tone properly so it just doesn't look right; you'd never know that MANHUNTER was made by the same guy who made HEAT, but he was 10 years behind in practice. Plus, it was the '80s, after all.
But if you watch Hopkins, notice that all of Lecter's evil is in the eyes. His face works like a mask, augmenting the impression he wants to give, which is why he's so creepy. He lets his face do all the emoting/acting to compensate for the eyes that never change. Watch it again and notice how Hopkins barely moves his eyebrows...he moves his goddamn *eyelids.* He uses his fucking *eyelids* to express emotion in Lecter, not his eyebrows. I still have no fucking idea to this day how he did that.
@@Theomite yeah that's what I said , I think youtube has a bug did you get all that I wrote ? or was it only 3 lines or something ? tell me .Then to answer what you said : I think ,based on what I explained earlier (and I hope you got it cuz it was pretty long and I don't want to write it again and I hope youtube is not freezing or something ) that's why Hopkins as Lecter is way more realistic.
I agree , Manhunter is , without a doubt , a terrible movie .The director didn't seem to realize what he had in his hands , the possibilities, etc...it looks like a bad TV movie .Just the asylum, making it look like an Apple store was a terrible mistake ....
Brian Cox! No need to defend your role! You were the first and will always be the best Hannibal Lecter!
This is the first time I’ve heard him with his natural accent
Go on Cash do it!!
Lecktor in manhunter was the best parts of the movie
I didn't know he based his Lecter on Peter Manuel. Dam! you know something, I was watching Cape Fear with my brother one time and I said to him, it's a long shot but maybe Max Cady was based on Peter Manuel because of the way Cady acted. He laughed and said i doubt it very much. But now Brian has just said his Lecter was based on Manuel. I knew i was on to something.
Fire this interviewer for it knowing who freddy Kruger is XD
The best Hannibal, imo.