Hannibal at 25: A divisive movie that confirmed Ridley Scott's comeback

Ridley Scott spent much of the 1990s at a low ebb despite the early high of Thelma & Louise. He moved into what felt like a run of maritime pictures—1492: Conquest of Paradise and White Squall—which together cost around $75 million and grossed less than $20 million, and even a better-performing G.I.

Jane drew mixed reactions. His mainstream revival seemed to begin with Gladiator, but the film made immediately after it played a crucial, if unconventional, part in solidifying that return. Scott signed on to make Hannibal after Jonathan Demme declined, bringing Anthony Hopkins back as the cannibal Lecter and casting Julianne Moore in place of Jodie Foster.

Unlike The Silence of the Lambs, this sequel lets Lecter roam free for much of the story, and Scott leaned into visualizing the character’s crimes—alternating icy, surveillance‑tinged scenes of Clarice Starling with painterly, gruesome murders staged in Florence.

ridley scott, hannibal, anthony hopkins, julianne moore, clarice starling, gladiator, g.i. jane, white squall, 1492, florence