Ten years after the world held its breath as Dr. Hannibal Lecter walked into the sunset of Bimini, he returned—not to a prison cell, but to the lush, operatic streets of Florence. But did this long-awaited sequel live up to the legacy of The Silence of the Lambs ? The Plot: A Game of Revenge

While Jonathan Demme’s original was a masterclass in psychological tension, director Ridley Scott opted for a "swank decadence". The film is visually stunning, featuring:

Set a decade after his escape, Hannibal finds Dr. Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) living a refined life as an art scholar in Italy. Back in the states, a disgraced Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster) is caught in a political firestorm. She is soon pulled back into Lecter’s orbit by Mason Verger (an unrecognizable Gary Oldman), a wealthy, hideously disfigured former victim seeking a truly grisly revenge. Style Over Suspense?

: The shift from thriller to "Grand Guignol" horror is evident in the film's famous, stomach-churning set pieces, including the man-eating boars and the infamous dinner scene.

: Florence is captured with a haunting, theatrical grace.