I would write a review of “Red Dragon” but I pretty much agree with everything Xkot said, and he got there first. So I won’t repeat it, other than to emphasize how woefully miscast Ralph Fiennes was. A handsome, tiny man with a shaving scar does not a Francis Dolarhyde make.
In its place, here’s my first four-word review:
Go rent “Manhunter” instead.
Fiennes and Emily Watson were playing scenes straight out of a charming indie romance — he’s too bashful to realize he’s attractive, she’s confident but too often overlooked, and they’re good together. Trouble is, I generally didn’t remember that he was supposed to be a psycho when he was with her. His character was totally unintegrated — he was playing two entirely different parts.
I was still more amused by Mary-Louise Parker’s scenes, most of which came off as too-late auditions to play Clarice in Hannibal.