Based on the controversial sequel novel of the same name, Hannibal is the much-anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning
The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
Anthony Hopkins returns as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, one of the world's most cunning and feared serial killers, who resurfaces after a decade in hiding to toy with FBI agent Clarice Starling (
Julianne Moore). As Starling's career flounders thanks to a drug bust gone wrong, Lecter attempts to elude a greedy Italian police detective (
Giancarlo Giannini) who's willing to alert the authorities to his presence in Florence for a price. In the meantime, a maimed but wealthy former victim of Lecter's named Mason Verger (
Gary Oldman) plots to get his revenge on the doctor in a most unusual and grisly fashion. The novel by Thomas Harris was adapted for director
Ridley Scott by
David Mamet and
Steven Zaillian. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide