Hannibal Rising

Hannibal Rising is a 2007 psychological thriller drama film and the fifth film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is a prequel to Red Dragon, Hannibal and The Silence of the Lambs. The film is an adaptation of Thomas Harris' 2006 novel of the same name and tells the story of Lecter's evolution from a vengeful Nazi hunter into a cannibalistic serial killer. The film was directed by Peter Webber from a screenplay by Harris, and stars Gaspard Ulliel as the title character with additional roles played by Gong Li, Rhys Ifans and Dominic West. Filming took place at Barrandov Studios in Prague. It was co-produced by the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Italy and the United States. It was released in France on February 7, 2007, and in Italy, United Kingdom, and the United States on February 9. It was produced by the Dino De Laurentiis Company and theatrical distribution was handled by Momentum Pictures in the U.K., and by The Weinstein Company and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the U.S.. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, though Ulliel's performance as Lecter was generally praised. It grossed $82.2 million against a $50 million budget. Plot In 1944, eight-year-old Hannibal Lecter lives in Lecter Castle in Lithuania. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union turns the Baltic region into part of the bloodiest front line of World War II. Lecter, his younger sister Mischa, and their parents travel to the family's hunting lodge in the woods to elude the advancing Nazi troops. After three years, the Nazis are finally driven out of the countries soon to be re-occupied by the Soviet Union. During their retreat, they destroy a Soviet tank that had stopped at the Lecter family's lodge looking for water. The explosion kills everyone but Lecter and Mischa. They survive in the cottage until five Lithuanian men from a Waffen-SS militia, led by Vladis Grutas, storm and loot it. Finding no other food in the bitterly cold Baltic winter, the men look menacingly at Lecter and Mischa. In 1952, Lithuania is a part of the Soviet Union, and Lecter Castle has been converted into an orphanage, which also houses Hannibal. After dealing violently with a bully, Lecter escapes from the orphanage to Paris to live with his widowed aunt, Lady Murasaki, who teaches him Japanese martial arts including Kenjutsu. While in France, Lecter flourishes as a student. He commits his first murder as a teenager, using a katana sword to behead a local butcher for insulting his aunt.