History YMMV / RedDragon

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Some modern readers have decried Dolarhyde, a [[AxeCrazy vicious psychopath who does the most horrible things possible]] to the most undeserving people possible but [[FreudianExcuse has a traumatic childhood that makes him sympathetic]], as a cliche. Clearly they're unaware of how groundbreaking this was at the time. Graham even sums it up succinctly: "As a child, I weep for him. As a man, he's irredeemable." What happened to Dolarhyde was tragic, but right now he's a maniac who needs to be stopped.

* NightmareFuel: Was there really any doubt? The descriptions of how Dolarhyde entered his victims' houses and killed them one by one is chilling.

* HilariousInHindsight: The climax in ''Film/RushHour 2'', Creator/BrettRatner's previous outing, takes place at the BigBad's [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] casino. The name: The Red Dragon.

** The particularly... [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Odd]] detail of Reba... Ahem, ''petting'' the tiger while she's petting it. Despite being very strange, it effectively parallels the blend of danger and sensuality that her relationship with Dolarhyde has, and is one of the more notable things people remember from the film.

** In the book there's Dolarhyde's introduction in which he enjoys a home movie of one of his killings [[ADateWithRosiePalms just a little too much]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Hannibal Lecter. He's so popular that the ''Red Dragon'' film widely expanded his role.

* TheWoobie: Reba [=McClane=], particularly as played by Creator/EmilyWatson.
** Also Francis Dolarhyde as a little boy, who was mercilessly abused by his grandmother. Graham even makes a note of how much his heart goes out for the boy Francis once was, but that the same cannot be said of the man he grew up to be, who's a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds ''at best.''

* * AluminumChristmasTrees: "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed In Sun" is a real painting, one in a series painted by Creator/WilliamBlake. It is currently housed in the Brooklyn Museum.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Hannibal Lecter. He's so popular that the Red Dragon film widely expanded his role.

* HilariousInHindsight: Two major plot points in ''Film/RushHour 2'', Creator/BrettRatner's previous outing, take place on a yacht and the BigBad's namesake [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] casino. The name: ''Red Dragon''.

** The recording of Lounds forced to deliver Dollarhyde's message is the point where the investigators realize that they've been underestimating their unsub. Tooth Fairy? Who's that?

* BrokenBase: ''Manhunter'' (1986) vs ''Red Dragon'' (2002); which is better? While critical consensus leans sharply in favor of ''Manhunter'' (featuring a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to ''Red Dragon''[='s=] 68%), 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.

* BrokenBase: ''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.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: This faired better with critics and audiences than ''Literature/{{Hannibal}}''.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Some modern readers have decried Dolarhyde, a [[AxeCrazy vicious psychopath who does the most horrible things possible]] to the most undeserving people possible but [[FreudianExcuse has a traumatic childhood that makes him sympathetic]], as a cliche. Clearly they're unaware of how groundbreaking this was at the time.
** Graham even sums it up succinctly: "As a child, I weep for him. As a man, he's irredeemable." What happened to Dolarhyde was tragic, but right now he's a maniac who needs to be stopped.

* TearJerker: There are quite a few though this is unsurprising for a book dedicating a lot of pages to talking about the victims of horrible deaths and contemplating over their lives.
** Though Freddy Lounds was a major [[JerkAss jerkass]] his death still tugs at the heartstrings. His lover, Wendy stays with him until he dies and tries to comfort him the best she can.
--->''Wendy of Wendy City held Lounds's blackened claw and looked straight at him. He stirred once, a little before noon.''
--->''"It's gonna be just fine, Roscoe," she said. "We'll have us some high old times."''
--->''Lounds stirred again and died.''
** Dolarhyde's backstory and mental illness. Born disfigured, horribly abused as a child and now suffering from major delusions of being possessed by some otherwordly monster. His interactions from Reba show that were it not for his mental illness he could have been a normal, kind and loving man.

* SpoiledByTheFormat: When [[spoiler:Dolarhyde apparently commits suicide]], there's still a good chunk of pages left, and unlike the sequel there's no danger of Lecter's escape. Also doubles as a HopeSpot.