History YMMV / Manhunter

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmj1Qvude24 "Graham's Theme"]] by Michel Rubini perfectly accompanies Will's EurekaMoment, and serves as a fine tribute to the complexity of the human mind.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU6bs3O8mB0 "Coelacanth"]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_f7t7FlEI4 "Evaporation"]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0azNbGp2Yn8 "The Big Hush"]] by Shreikback are all fine pieces of mood music, and make the film's tensest moments all the more nerve-wracking.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/IronButterfly's "Music/InAGaddaDaVida". Also, most of the soundtrack, if you grew up in TheEighties.

** It's hard to watch Creator/DannisFarina as Jack Crawford here and ''not'' immediately think of ''Series/UnsolvedMysteries''.

** Falling asleep on an airplane with a folder full of crime scene photos on your tray? Bad idea.

* SpiritualAdaptation: Like ''Film/ToLiveAndDieInLA'', this feels like a ''Series/MiamiVice'' film, from the visual style to the music to the tone. It helps that Creator/MichaelMann made directed.

* CompleteMonster: [[ArchnemesisDad Walter "Walt" Pratt]] was the [[BastardBastard illegitimate son]] of the Justice Society heroes Phantom Lady and Iron Munroe. Growing up in a series of foster homes, Walt gained a streak of [[HeManWomanHater violent misogyny]] that manifested in brutally killing women later in life. Abusing and eventually murdering his own wife, Walt was sent to prison for the majority of his daughter [[TheProtagonist Kate]]'s life. When Kate was an adult with a young son, Walt returned to her life, revealing he was dying of bone cancer. Seeking to extend his life, Walt tried to kidnap his own grandson Ramsey to harvest his bone marrow to save his own life while paying the two supervillains he hired to do the transplant with Kate's ex-husband Peter, allowing the villains to torture him to death on camera. When he learned Ramsey was not a match, he tried to blackmail Kate to sacrifice herself in the transplant by threatening to beat Peter to death using Ramsey. When he realized there was no further way to survive, Walt proceeded to attempt to kill both Kate and [[WouldHurtAChild Ramsey]], just to ensure his whole bloodline would be extinct.

** It's hard to watch Dannis Farina as Jack Crawford here and ''not'' immediately think of ''Series/UnsolvedMysteries''.

* [[OneSceneWonder Three Scene Wonder]]: Lecktor appears in only three scenes, but he casts a pall over the entire film. Cox's take on him is a slimy, reptilian version, with cold, black eyes and a seemingly toothless mouth.

* VindicatedByHistory: Didn't do very well at the box office and dealt with mixed reviews from critics upon initial release, now it's considered a classic in it's own right and left quite an impact on films and TV shows of the same or similar genre, and is generally regarded the best Hannibal Lecter related adaptation aside from ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''.

** ''Manhunter'' (1986) vs ''Red Dragon'' (2002); which is better? While critical consensus leans sharply in favor of ''Manhunter'', the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes and viewer ratings on IMDB for both films are essentially equal, so it's definitely a case where it's a matter of opinion varying from person to person.

* CompleteMonster: Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) here and in the novel Literature/RedDragon has few of the redeeming personal qualities that showed up in later novels, where he mostly kills people in self-defense as well as "rude" people who often qualify as AssholeVictims. In constrast, in this film he's described has having murdered random college students before being arrested, and he encourages the Tooth Fairy to murder Graham's entire family (wife and step-son), providing the killer with Graham's home address and a letter saying "Save yourself - kill them all". On the other hand, there's no reference to his cannibalism in this film or in the novel that it was based on, so at least in that sense he's less grotesque in this version.

** ''Manhunter'' (1986) vs ''Red Dragon'' (2002); which is better? The audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes and viewer ratings on IMDB for both films are essentially equal, so it's definitely a case where it's a matter of opinion varying from person to person.

* CompleteMonster: Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) here and in the novel Literature/RedDragon has few of the redeeming personal qualities that showed up in later novels, where he mostly kills people in self-defense as well as "rude" people who often qualify as AssholeVictims. In constrast, in this film he's described has having murdered random college students before being arrested, and he encourages the Tooth Fairy to murder Graham's entire family (wife and step-son), providing the killer with Graham's home address and a letter saying "...kill them all. On the other hand, there's no reference to his cannibalism in this film or in the novel that it was based on, so at least in that sense he's less grotesque in this version.

* CompleteMonster: Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) here and in the novel Literature/RedDragon has few of the redeeming personal qualities that showed up in later novels, where he mostly kills people in self-defense as well as "rude" people who often qualify as AssholeVictims. In constrast, in this film he's described has having murdered random college students before being arrested, and he encourages the Tooth Fairy to murder Graham's entire family (wife and step-son) and provides the killer with Graham's home address. On the other hand, there's no reference to his cannibalism in this film or in the novel that it was based on, so at least in that sense he's less grotesque in this version.

* CompleteMonster: Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) here and in the novel Literature/RedDragon has few of the redeeming personal qualities that showed up in later novels, where he mostly kills people in self-defense as well as "rude" people who often qualify as AssholeVictims. In constrast, in this film he's described has having murdered random college students before being arrested, and he encourages the Tooth Fairy to murder Graham's entire family (wife and step-son) and provides the killer with Graham's home address. On the other hand, there's no reference to his cannibalism in this film or in the novel that it was based on.

* CompleteMonster: Hannibal Lecktor (Lecter) here and in Literature/RedDragon has few of the redeeming personal qualities that showed up in later novels, where he mostly kills people in self-defense as well as "rude" people who often qualify as AssholeVictims. In constrast, in this film he's described has having murdered random college students before being arrested, and he encourages the Tooth Fairy to murder Graham's entire family (wife and step-son) and provides the killer with Graham's home address. On the other hand, there's no reference to his cannibalism in this film.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Also, most of the soundtrack, if you grew up in TheEighties.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
** Will Graham bursts through the window of Dolarhyde's house in slow-motion, set to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".
** Dolarhyde's [[OneManArmy one man rampage]] as he battles it out with what seems to be a small army of police, absorbing at least one [[FeelsNoPain point blank bullet]] with seemingly no effect, qualifies too. As does the moment when Graham [[{{BFG}} puts six Glaser slugs through him]].
** Will's EurekaMoment ''will'' have your blood pumping. No bells or whistles, just a quiet scene with two actors giving great performances, helped by a musical score slowly building up until you see Will's face lighting up with realization.
** Doubles with a SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoment: Will takes his son shopping and comes clean to him, telling him what he has to do for a living, and the effect it has on him. His son looks at him, then changes the subject, but it's clear that they've made it over a hurdle: Will's son understands and accepts what his dad has to do.

* BrokenBase: Creator/BrianCox's portrayal of Lecktor is weird to see for someone who has seen Creator/AnthonyHopkins' Lecter first, but while Hopkins has an Oscar to back his version, more and more people are starting to let Cox's Lecktor in from the cold as ''Manhunter'' achieves cult status.

* CoveredUp: This film, and specifically Brian Cox's take on the Hannibal "Lecktor" character, has been covered up by the later Thomas Harris adaptations and Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal "Lecter".

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: Falling asleep on an airplane with a folder full of crime scene photos on your tray? Bad idea.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Will Graham bursts through the window of Dolarhyde's house in slow-motion, set to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".

* NightmareRetardant: The revelation of what Hannibal's secret code to Dolarhyde is in the letter he sends happens shortly after the letter is published in the original book and 2002 film, and it's a very frightening moment. In ''Manhunter'', it happens ''directly after the scariest scene in the movie'', and in a ridiculously casual way (it's practically "Oh by the way, Will, Lecktor [[spoiler: gave away your home address.]]")
** It's likely that the re-positioning of the scene was to evoke a FromBadToWorse sensation. For some viewers (especially on rewatch), part of the problem is the knowledge that [[spoiler:in this version Dolarhyde never gets the chance to use the information, making the subplot rather a waste of time and a NegatedMomentOfAwesome for Lecktor]]. However, it does result in a supremely tense BaitAndSwitch scene in which it seems like Dolarhyde is stalking Peterson's wife and son outside their beach house. (It's the cops.)

* RetroactiveRecognition: It's hard to watch Dannis Farina as Jack Crawford here and ''not'' immediately think of ''Series/UnsolvedMysteries''.

* CompleteMonster: [[ArchnemesisDad Walter "Walt" Pratt]] was the [[BastardBastard illegitimate son]] of the Justice Society heroes Phantom Lady and Iron Munroe. Growing up in a series of foster homes, Walt gained a streak of [[HeManWomanHater violent misogyny]] that manifested in brutally killing women later in life. Abusing and eventually murdering his own wife, Walt was sent to prison for the majority of his daughter [[TheProtagonist Kate]]'s life. When Kate was an adult with a young son, Walt returned to her life, revealing he was dying of bone cancer. Seeking to extend his life, Walt tried to kidnap his own grandson Ramsey to harvest his bone marrow to save his own life while paying the two supervillains he hired to do the transplant with Kate's ex-husband Peter, allowing the villains to torture him to death on camera. When he learned Ramsey was not a match, he tried to blackmail Kate to sacrifice herself in the transplant by threatening to beat Peter to death using Ramsey. When he realized there was no further way to survive, Walt proceeded to attempt to kill both Kate and [[WouldHurtAChild Ramsey]], just to ensure his whole bloodline would be extinct.

** Wills EurekaMoment ''will'' have your blood pumping. No bells or whistles, just a quiet scene with two actors giving great performances, helped by a musical score slowly building up until you see Will's face lighting up with realization.

** ''Manhunter'' (1986) vs ''Red Dragon'' (2002); which is better?

* RetroactiveRecognition: It's hard to watch Dannis Farina as Jack Crawford here and ''not'' immediately think of ''Series/Unsolved Mysteries''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: It's hard to watch Dannis Farina as Jack Crawford here and ''not'' immediately think of "Unsolved Mysteries".

** It's likely that the re-positioning of the scene was to evoke a FromBadToWorse sensation. For some viewers (especially on rewatch), part of the problem is the knowledge that [[spoiler:in this version Dolarhyde never gets the chance to use the information, making the subplot rather a waste of time]]. However, it does result in a supremely tense BaitAndSwitch scene in which it seems like Dolarhyde is stalking Peterson's wife and son outside their beach house. (It's the cops.)

** For some viewers (especially on rewatch), part of the problem is the knowledge that [[spoiler:in this version Dolarhyde never gets the chance to use the information, making the subplot rather a waste of time]]. However, it does result in a supremely BaitAndSwitch scene in which it seems like Dolarhyde is stalking Peterson's wife and son outside their beach house. (It's the cops.)