Voted the all-time movie villain in an American Film Institute poll, Thomas Harris’ epicurean madman has been played by three actors: Brian Cox in the 1986 Manhunter (based on the novel Red Dragon), Gaspard Ulliel as the teen Lecter in this year’s Hannibal Rising and Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and the 2002 remake of Red Dragon. Audiences connected with Lecter for his majesty and eclat as much as his dark sadism. I’ve chosen the 2001 Hannibal because, promoted from featured player to antihero, Lecter finally gets to display his sick talents center-stage; and because Hopkins makes this mad genius more insinuating and horrifying than ever.
