The story of the early, murderous roots of the cannibalistic killer, Hannibal Lecter – from his hard-scrabble Lithuanian childhood, where he witnesses the repulsive lengths to which hungry soldiers will go to satiate themselves, through his sojourn in France, where as a medical student he hones his appetite for the kill.
Acting
Gaspard Ulliel's smoldering, predatory stillness
Production
Lush period design that makes murder look expensive
Cinematography
Snow-drenched Lithuania vs. gilded France
Director
Peter Webber
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Thomas Harris wrote the novel specifically to stop other writers from creating Hannibal's backstory—then adapted it himself when producers demanded an origin film.
The film's 'eating the cheek' scene was controversially added despite no basis in Harris's novel, pushing Hannibal into explicit cannibal territory earlier than established lore suggested.
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