Hannibal has bite! After escaping ten years ago in Silence of the Lambs Dr. Hannibal Lector, the most famous serial killer since Jack the Ripper, is back. Currently residing in Florence, Italy he's been serving as curator for one of the local museums since the untimely demise of the previous curator. When Clarice Starling, more experienced and more cynical after a decade with the FBI, is involved in a controversial and well-publicized shooting incident Hannibal communicates with her putting Clarice back on his trail. Others less benevolent then Clarice are also after Hannibal such as his only surviving victim, multi-millionaire Mason Verger, who has offered a three million dollar reward to anyone who brings Lector to him alive. Verger, his face horribly mutilated and kept alive only by life support and his hatred for Lector has dinner plans for Hannibal, plans that involve pork of neither the roast nor barbequed variety. Only Hannibal has dinner plans of his own for all of those pursuing him and he has orchestrated the course of the meal very, very carefully.

Hannibal is beautifully filmed, elegantly written and scary as hell. Some roles were unquestionably made for a particular actor to bring to life in a way that no one else, no matter how talented, can equal. Sir Anthony Hopkins and Hannibal Lector are a prime example. As soon as Sir Anthony appears on screen as Hannibal a palpable sense of menace hangs over every moment of the film through a performance that elevates what would otherwise have been a slightly above average horror film into a brilliant, if grisly, work of art. The gore, over which Hannibal has received its share of criticism, is formidable, but actually no worse then what occurs in most horror films today. It simply seems worse in contrast to the calmness and culture Hannibal exudes just before erupting into terrifying and bloody violence. As for Clarice Starling, while it would have been great to see Jodie Foster in that role again, Julianne Moore does an excellent job as Hannibal's nemesis.

So, if you have any brains, you'll share a meal with the good Doctor and don't forget it's strictly BYOB, that is, Bring Your Own Barfbag.