Manhunter, a rough precursor to Silence of the Lambs (which was also based on a novel by Thomas Harris), follows an FBI agent (William Petersen) who brings maniacal killers to justice by duplicating their mindset. The agent's last case, Dr. Hannibal Lektor (played here by Brian Cox), caused his early retirement, but he reactivates himself to solve a mystery involving a killer who murders entire families. The movie, like the Thomas Harris novel, is also known as Red Dragon.