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Gaspard Ulliel, Li Gong, Rhys Ifans, Kevin Mckidd, Dominic West ... see more see more... , Richard Brake , Stephen Walters , Ivan Marevich , Goran Kostic , Charles Maquignon , Richard Leaf , Ingeborga Dapkunaite , Aaron Thomas , Helena Lia Tachovska , Aaran Thomas

Curious filmgoers looking to get better acquainted with the silver screen's most notorious cannibalistic serial killer are sure to get their fair share of shocks and thrills as director Peter Webber t... read more read more...eams with author Thomas Harris to explore the early life of well-read psychopath Hannibal Lecter. Based on author Harris' gruesome novel of the same name, Hannibal Rising travels back in time to World War II-era Lithuania, where an impressionable, well-to-do young boy named Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel) was forced to watch helplessly as his family was massacred and his young sister suffered a terrifying fate at the hands of desperate, famished soldiers. After seeking temporary shelter at the Soviet orphanage that was once his family's home, Hannibal later flees to Paris in search of his long-lost uncle. Though his uncle has passed away, his uncle's beautiful Japanese widow, Lady Murasaki (Gong Li), warmly accepts the frightened orphan into her home. But even the love and kindness of this generous stranger isn't enough to calm the raging storm that is brewing inside this troubled young boy. Plagued by nightmares and determined to seek vengeance on the murderous war criminals who brutalized his family, the profoundly disturbed but academically gifted Hannibal enrolls in medical school in order to hone the skills that will allow him to exact horrific justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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61% liked it

527,848 ratings

Critics

15% liked it

142 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Peter Webber

Release Date: February 9, 2007

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DVD Release Date: May 29, 2007

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Stats: 27,484 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (27,484)

  • Deano78
    June 24, 2011
    Deano78
    A well made film with great locations, that explains a little about how Hannibal became to be what he is in The silence of the lambs. However I feel a lot is still unexplained and wouldn't be surprised if a further film takes us right up to date with his story, to the point of hi... read morem being in prison at the start of The silence of the lambs. Still better than Hannibal though.
  • paulsandberg
    February 13, 2011
    paulsandberg
    Harris did the screenplay of his own book, so he has no-one but himself to blame in that regard; however, the blame only partly lies with the script - the acting is very uneven and the casting in some cases abyssmal (Murisaka is attrocious - reduced to "Oh Hannibal" - showing no ... read moredepth or nuance). Much more should have been made of who she was and how she relates to the young Hannibal, but alas. There were also attempts made to show that the Inspector was sympathetec, but too little, too late - I feel that to have gone in depth into those areas would have made a far different, and for my money, a better film, but some studio exec probably pushed for a more action type thriller.

    As a thriller there is some small merit here - the way in which Hannibal blithely walks right into danger; he's either so warped by his traumatic experience or so bent for revenge that he feels invincible or he simply doesn't care.

    There are some nice cinematic elements, especially the beginning scenes with the war going on all around the chateau, but in the end I felt unfulfilled (pun intended) - perhaps a nice chianti.... ah never mind.
  • stevenecarrier
    February 10, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    It's hard to ignore the fact that "Hannibal Rising" (both the novel and the film) were made with the best of intentions. Shedding light on the backstory of such an iconic villain is a lofty goal. The film features good acting, clear direction and nice cinematography. But for me, ... read morethe overall story, while plausible, just does not do anything for me. The biggest reason is that it all makes so much sense. There are no surprises here. The progression of Hannibal Lecter is very straightforward and obvious. For attentive viewers there are nods to the next three films sprinkled throughout this one, which I found a little cheap. In the end, the worst crime "Hannibal Rising" commits is that it's boring. Like I said, everything is so clearly drawn out that all the mystery of Hannibal is taken away and there is nothing left to pull you in.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 8, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Let me get this out of the way, I read every Hannibal Lector books by Thomas Harris. I loved them all including the prologue to the Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising. I was thrilled when they were going to make a movie based on the book, I was thrilled. Now reviews have said that peopl... read moree not "getting it" don't apply to me, cause I knew exactly what to expect. But this film is an insult to the book and an insult to Thomas Harris. I didn't like it because I thought the actors seemed bored, and gave really sloppy performances and they don't deliver on the source material, and its almost a dead on adaptation. Thats why I hated the prologue, this terrible because of bad acting, you end up falling asleep because the actors are terrible. Hell, the guy playing Hannibal should be a victim in the next Hannibal Lector novel, if there ever is one just to have given such a terrible performance. The film also ends up being really not suspenseful, thrilling or scary for that matter because by now you know definitely well what will happen, even Hannibal and Red Dragon had some very thrilling, suspenseful, thrilling and scary moments. But Hannibal Rising has none of that, all you get is a tired out film with boring, predictable scares and thrills. The actor playing Hannibal never does anything to elevate the legendary stature of Hannibal Lector and he portrays him as a joke, he lacks the menace and the wit of previous actors that played the character, Anthony Hopkins and Brian Cox. If you loved and read the book, don't watch this film, it's a tired out film with none of the memorable suspenseful thrills of the other books and films. Bad acting brings this film as the worst film in the series.
  • cosmo313
    March 6, 2010
    cosmo313
    Mostly entertaining, despite the plot being kinda asinine. Gaspard Ulliel does a decent job as the young Hannibal Lecter, and some of the supporting performances are also alright, but overall, it's hard to care about this movie. While it is interesting to know the origins of the ... read morecharacter, and what made him the way is, providing an entire film that is nothing but backstory unfortunately also demythologizes the character, taking some of the creepy and menacing edge off. The camera work and music are really good though, and are probably the highlights of the movie.
  • SirPant
    November 10, 2009
    SirPant
    Hannibal Rising starts well and is beautifully filmed but unfortunately it becomes a little slow, a little boring and slightly contrived towards the middle. There is a huge unexplained leap between innocent Hannibal and warped and crazy Hannibal, thus, not really explaining, or s... read morehould I say convincing us as to why he becomes the monster seen in Silence of the Lambs etc. A wasted opportunity! Rhys Ifans is truly annoying too!
  • rezpatriot
    September 24, 2009
    rezpatriot
    Great Film. For adults with adult themes including the Russian Front which most un-educated people won't understand. I would recommend the film if you were around when the 'Silence of the Lambs' was released. This film is different, very very different, but it keeps up with moder... read moren films and follows the timeline of Hannibal Lecter well. Enjoyable any night of the week movie !
  • matertenebraum
    June 10, 2009
    matertenebraum
    It's time to learn what led Hannibal Lecter, once a gifted, bright young man, to a life of horrendous crime.

    Fans of the book series will already be familiar with the story of Hannibal's younger sister, Mischa (and her eventual fate at the hands of Nazi soldiers), from Thomas Ha... read morerris's 1999 novel "Hannibal".

    Now it is time to learn the full story of Lecters troubled childhood, a result of growing up through the horrors World War 2.

    I, for one loved Hannibal Rising, so much so that I returned to cinemas to watch the film for a second time merely a week after my first viewing. The film has also re-kindled my interest in Thomas Harris's wonderful series.

    Stunning cinematography, emotional performances beautiful direction and all together great story telling help to make this film one of the best I have seen in a long time.

    Gaspard Ulliel makes cannibalism hot and does a fantastic job at portraying a young Lecter. He is perfectly charming and polite on the outside, whilst on the inside his sadistic and vengeful nature continues to grow. Ulliel is highly engaging and convincing in his performance, doing the famous character justice.

    Gong Li must also be mentioned at this point for her performance as the graceful Lady Murasaki who acts as both mentor and love interest for the young Hannibal. Li and Ulliel have a good chemistry throughout most of the film and both actors appear to have a great understanding of their characters.

    I would highly recommend this movie to fans of the book series, however fans of the movie series might be disappointed if they are expecting to see another Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon.
  • smith44
    June 7, 2009
    smith44
    Hannibal Rising or Flogging A Dead Horse
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    June 2, 2009
    LoughnerWasLucid
    yea this movie fails on every level. the Hannibal actor is just a rich prep douche.

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Critic Reviews

David Edelstein
February 12, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Hannibal Rising is basically a Steven Seagal vigilante movie with a hero who eats the people he kills. At least it's ecofriendly. Full Review

J. R. Jones
February 12, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

In the finest tradition of TV newsmagazines, Hannibal Lecter's penchant for serial murder turns out to be the result of a traumatic childhood. Full Review

Dana Stevens
February 9, 2007
Dana Stevens, Slate

What this nasty, brutish movie left me feeling was ashamed to be American. First of all: As a folk archetype, a supervillain for our times, this is the best we can come up with? A vaguely Eurotrash sc... Full Review

Geoff Pevere
February 9, 2007
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Tilting his elegantly aquiline features downward while hoisting one eyebrow over a dark orb, curling his lips with Grinchian deliberation, he seems to be determined to kill people on the strength of h... Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
February 9, 2007
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

You can argue that prequels to great films simply shouldn't be made. But when they are, this is the right way to do it. Full Review

Roger Moore
February 9, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Rising is a movie that solves a mystery no one should want solved, with more grisly crimes that spare us no detail, held together by an actor who is no Anthony Hopkins. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
February 9, 2007
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

The great thing about monsters is that they glide noiselessly from nightmare straight into myth, fully formed and eternally mysterious. To know what made them is to explain them. And once you explain ... Full Review

Kyle Smith
February 9, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

There is no action-movie cliché too rusty to be wheeled forth. Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 9, 2007
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

I can't name an actor who could have made young Lecter as interesting as the older one, but Ulliel does not come close. Full Review

Sam Adams
February 9, 2007
Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times

Lacking the wit to qualify as a sick joke, the ongoing saga of Hannibal Lecter has become the Grand Guignol equivalent of a shaggy-dog story. Full Review

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  • When Hannibal Lecter (Ulliel) injects himself with sodium thiopental to help jog his memory of that fateful night when his sister was killed, the background music is "Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach. That was the same music being played... read more when Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) escaped in "Silence of the Lambs".
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  • WHAT YEAR DID THE MOVIE HANNIBAL RISING START IN?  Answer »
  • From which movie is this quote? "Hannibal, a memory is like a knife: it can hurt you!"  Answer »
  • Is the movie HANNIBAL RISING the first screenplay that Thomas Harris wrote?  Answer »
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