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Manhunter

Manhunter

It's just you and me now, sport…

1986120 minRMidcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Director
Michael Mann
Starring
William Petersen, Tom Noonan, Dennis Farina, Brian Cox

FBI Agent Will Graham, retired after catching notorious cannibal Hannibal Lecter, returns to duty to engage in a risky cat-and-mouse game with Lecter to capture a new killer.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Manhunter?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Manhunter streaming on Howdy via Prime Video and Lionsgate+ via Prime Video and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Manhunter?

Manhunter earns 11 badges, led by Top 10% in Crime and Crowd Pleaser.

Show 3 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is Manhunter worth watching?

Manhunter's Midcredits score is the 89th percentile of all films, from 297K ratings across 6 sources. 76% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

89th percentile

Better received than 89% of films

91st percentile among Crime89th percentile among 1980s
Acclaim (how much people like it)88th
Approval (how many liked it)86th

74 /100

88th percentile of all films

92nd percentile among Crime91st percentile among 1980s

Critics 75 · Audience 73

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.3 — solid but not unanimous.

76% liked it

86th percentile of all films

86th percentile among Crime87th percentile among 1980s
76% rated it 7–1024% rated it 1–6

Critics 82% · Audience 77%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 1 noms overall

68th percentile

297K ratings across platforms

61st percentile among Crime63rd percentile among 1980s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 8% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$15M
Opening weekend$2.2M
Domestic gross$8.8M
Worldwide gross$8.8M

Returned 0.6× its budget — 75th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a stylish, atmospheric psychological thriller that divides audiences on whether its cool aesthetic enhances or smothers the story.

Fans praised

  • Brian Cox's understated, chilling portrayal of Hannibal Lecktor
  • Michael Mann's distinctive visual style: neon-lit, color-tinted, clinical
  • Tom Noonan's sympathetic yet terrifying Francis Dolarhyde

Detractors panned

  • Dated 80s synthesizer score and intrusive pop songs
  • Slow pacing and melodramatic, overacted lead performance
  • Weak character development for the killer and unsatisfying action climax

What stands out

AtmosphereDivisive83

Hypnotic, sterile, and menacing mood; 'Miami Vice' meets noir

CinematographyDivisive82

Striking color palettes, neo-noir compositions, clinical whites

ActingDivisive78

Cox's realistic Lecktor praised; Noonan vulnerable; Petersen divisive

TensionDivisive72

Creepy interviews and stalking; fizzles in action finale

CharactersDivisive70

Dolarhyde pitiable but underdeveloped; Graham haunted but thin

Plot and storyDivisive65

Absorbing forensic procedural; weak second half and finale

Sound and musicDivisive55

Synth score and 80s rock polarize: atmospheric or dated

Pacing50

Deliberate rhythm; often slow and meandering

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 17 points higher than women.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 12 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 8 points apart
  • US vs non-US even

Watch experience

What is Manhunter like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark and unsettling: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something dark that stays with you.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you haunted. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Dark and unsettling.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicDread
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Cold and cerebral · 4% of films: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film treats its material with a cool, clinical detachment, presenting the hunt and the killer's psychology with unflinching seriousness.
The rideThe film sustains a high level of psychological tension and dread from the first crime scene to the final shootout, with melancholic undercurrents in the domestic scenes.
StructureThe investigation unfolds in a linear chronology, from Graham's reluctant return to the final confrontation with the killer.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Haunted.

The answer rests on this: Haunting · 14% of filmsUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's cold, immersive look into the mind of a killer and the toll of profiling lingers as a deeply unsettling and haunting experience.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterPredator
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% (this title) · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Predator: A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe story follows former FBI profiler Will Graham as he re-enters the hunt for a serial killer who murders entire families, forcing Graham to inhabit the predator's mindset to stop him.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% (this title) · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsJustice · 13% of filmsTrauma · 7% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeGraham must reconcile his violent gift with his need for domestic normalcy, while the killer's fragile identity collapses under the strain of intimacy.
StanceThe film questions the cost of Graham's empathetic gift—his ability to inhabit killers' minds—and the price he pays for using it, without celebrating or condemning it outright.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanSuburbanInstitutionalRealistic
ElectronicAmbientForeground music · original score · Michel Rubini & The Reds
SettingFBI investigation spanning Florida, Atlanta, Alabama, and St. Louis in the 1980s.
MusicThe synth-heavy score—especially 'Strong As I Am' and 'Heartbeat'—is iconic for its period and mood.

Content guide

Is Manhunter okay for kids?

R

Manhunter is rated R. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (81/100), sexual content at mild (35/100), language at moderate (54/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (33/100) and frightening material at severe (91/100). Overall it is heavier than 67% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 9 other countries
  • UK18
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany16
  • FranceTP
  • Hungary18
  • Netherlands12
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/16
  • Spain12
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 80% of all filmsHeavier than 67% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 67%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 30%
Profanity
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 27%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 24%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 95%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material and violence. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Manhunter have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Manhunter?

Cast

3 of the 10 billed cast had never appeared on screen.

William Petersen
as Will Graham
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Tom Noonan
as Francis Dollarhyde
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Dennis Farina
as Jack Crawford
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Brian Cox
as Dr. Lecktor
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Kim Greist
as Molly Graham
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Joan Allen
as Reba
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
newcomer then · star now
Stephen Lang
as Freddy Lounds
newcomer then · star now
David Seaman
as Kevin Graham
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Benjamin Hendrickson
as Dr. Chilton
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Chris Elliott
as Zeller
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Manhunter?

Movies like Manhunter include The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Miami Vice (2006) and Red Dragon (2002). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films by Michael Mann, and most are stories about psychopaths.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Thomas Harris wrote 3 of these 12. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Manhunter?

1.3K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: neo-noir. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.