Manhunter (1986) or Red Dragon (2002) ?

Why?

Insanely better cinematography, score, and pace and most importantly better acted than Red Dragon which consisted of great actors but that does not mean it will be better by default. 

Agreed.

Manhunter great actors all,but special mention to William Petersen and Tom Noonan for bringing sympathy to their characters.
Wonderful film.

Red Dragon great actors who seemed bewildered (Edward Norton) or just completely over the top (Anthony Hopkins).
Disappointing.

And yet, despite Red Dragon having an A-list cast, none of them truly did justice to the characters. Anthony Hopkins was trying way too hard to recapture his performance from The Silence of the Lambs. When that's not how Hannibal Lecter acts like at all in the novels. Also Edward Norton sucked as Will Graham. Will Graham is suppose to be a very broken individual. Like he could just snap at any moment. I never got that sense at all from Edward Norton. As for Ralph Fiennes, they tried way too hard to make us feel sorry for the character by humanizing him. Yes, Francis Dolarhyde was sympathetic in the novel as well, but he was still a sinister monster.

I'm impressed how many here prefer Manhunter.

Manhunter by a long, long way. Superb movie.

I love the way Antony Hopkins performs Hannibal, but it doesn't really bear scrutiny. The fact is that his Hannibal is deeply, obviously creepy. That's great when the intention of the movie is, as in Silence of the Lambs, to present us with a monster. But it instantly becomes absurd when Hannibal is in the real world. Look at the guy Starling talks to in the cell. Now picture him hosting a dinner party, chatting with friends... it's immediately an absurd image, because nobody would want to hang around with that guy. And the first time there was a horrific murder anywhere near his social scene, everyone would be whispering about "he's so odd... maybe it was him...". The first time a cop came to talk to everyone they would all be like "Oh, you want to know if anybody is acting strangely? Well Hannibal always acts strangely."

Brian Cox's Hannibal doesn't have any of those monster mannerisms, though. He's so casual, so perfectly normal. Contrast the way Hopkins says "A census taker tried to test me once. I ate his liver..." to the way Cox casually asks about the guy who went into his basement. "He has emotional problems now, so I hear?" He sounds like he's asking after his health, with no trace at all that he enjoys the fact that he was responsible for that guy's condition.

And Will Graham in Manhunter is far and away better. The way they gradually, slowly show him immersing his way into the world of the killer... the way he walks through the crime scenes, and gradually goes from "The killer entered the house..." to "I enter the house..." The way all of that plays so perfectly into the scene where he finally realises how the killer is choosing his victims. "It's all about seeing with you, isn't it my friend. Your primary sensory input, that makes your dream live, is seeing. Images. Reflections... you've seen these films!"

In fact, I would go so far as to say I think that scene is one of the best ever committed to film.



Red Dragon is just a typical Hollywood thriller in comparison.

Red Dragon for sure. I'm an outlaw in that I tend to favor the one actually featuring the guy from the other two movies!