Hannibal

Given the impressive list of talented people involved, there was never a question about whether "Hannibal" would be an accomplished-looking, technically impressive cinematic experience.

However, given the apparent contrast between the source material — Thomas Harris' best-selling, love-it-or-hate-it novel — and the filmmaker who has brought it to the big screen ("Gladiator" helmer Ridley Scott), there was a question of how exploitative the film might be.

The answer to that question is, quite exploitative. But not as much as it might have in even less-restrained hands.

Not that that excuses either the filmmakers or the movie distributor for its bad timing.

Since the entertainment industry has made a series of half-hearted attempts to "clean up" its act recently, this is a curiously irresponsible piece of cinema that pretty much flies in the face of that effort.

With its sickeningly graphic, repulsively gory acts of violence, this is a very R-rated movie, one that should absolutely not be seen by children, much less marketed to them. (Actually, this one begs the question as to whether this level of gore should earn an NC-17 instead of an R).

But what may be most surprising is how boring it is at times. That includes getting our first "taste" of the title character, so to speak — more than 30 minutes into the film.

It's been several years after the events in "The Silence of the Lambs," and escaped serial-killer Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is now in seclusion in Europe, where he's very close to becoming a library curator.

He's also closely watching, from afar, FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, subbing for Jodie Foster), whose once-promising career is in a bit of a tailspin. A mission, under her command, has gone horribly awry and she's now in hot water with the higher-ups.

So she's fortunate to have a benefactor (of sorts) in the person of Mason Verger (a virtually unrecognizable — and unbilled — Gary Oldman), the only one of Hannibal's victims ever to survive. He is a horribly mutilated millionaire who uses his influence to have Clarice reassigned in the hope that she'll be able to track Hannibal down.

But it appears that someone else may have already beaten her to the punch, an Italian police inspector (veteran European actor Giancarlo Giannini), who has recognized Hannibal and made plans to deliver him to Verger.

The script here (by veterans David Mamet and Steve Zaillian) is extremely faithful to the novel — perhaps even more so than "The Silence of the Lambs." The only exceptions are a few deleted characters and a twist ending that makes at least a little more sense.

But the screenplay also plays to director Scott's worst instincts, as he throws in distracting quick-cut camera work and lets several scenes drag on for too long.

Then there's Scott's inability to control his cast. While Hopkins, the consummate professional, remains in creepy character, Moore appears to be imitating Foster (right down to the icy aloofness), and both Oldman and Ray Liotta verge on camp.

"Hannibal" is rated R for graphic scenes of gore and glimpses of gory crime-scene photos, violence (gunplay, as well as Hannibal's gruesome killings), brief use of strong profanity and crude sexual slang terms, glimpses of nude artwork and brief drug use (morphine, injected). Running time: 130 minutes.

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