Manhunter
Contrary to popular belief, Silence Of The Lambs was not the first film to feature Hannibal Lecter. Author Thomas Harris's first novel of the Lector trilogy, Red Dragon, was the basis for this 1986 film starring William Petersen, Joan Allen, Dennis Farina and Tom Noonan. The plot of Manhunter is similar in many ways to Silence Of The Lambs. Petersen plays Will Graham a former FBI Agent who captured the infamous Lecter and was almost killed in the process. He is so traumatized by the event he retires from the FBI. His former partner Jack Crawford calls him out of retirement, however, to help find a killer called The Tooth Fairy who is murdering entire families. Graham is a profiler who has an uncanny ability to get into the mind of a killer and think as he does. Graham visits Lecter in prison to seek his advice.The movie was originally a box office failure, but has since reached "cult" status. Among its fans, it is thought to be superior to both Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs.