Manhunter (1986)

Will Graham (Petersen) was the FBI's top guy in their Behavioral Science Unit who retired after a harrowing pursuit of a serial killer. Now, he's called back to duty to find a psychotic family killer by colleague Jack (Farina). Will's technique: to match the thought processes of serial killers and thus anticipate their moves. Intense thriller, based on the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. Harris also wrote The Silence of the Lambs, whose most notorious character Hannibal (The Cannibal) Lecter, appears in this movie as well (spelled Lektor and played by Cox). Graham visits the prisoner to get fresh insights into his new case and Lektor plays his usual nasty mind games. Director Mann applies the slick techniques he introduced in the popular TV series Miami Vice, creating a quiet, moody intensity broken by sudden onslaughts of violence.