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Still from Hannibal (2001)
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Hannibal 2001: Cast, Plot and Ending Explained

Hannibal 2001 is the 131 minute sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Ridley Scott and released in the US on February 9, 2001, with Anthony Hopkins returning as Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Julianne Moore replacing Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. It is the third film in release order and the fifth in chronological order across the Hannibal Lecter saga, and it grossed $352 million worldwide on an $87 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

Image: TMDB
Hannibal (2001) theatrical poster
US release
February 9, 2001
Runtime
2h 11m
Rating
R / 18 / MA 15+
Director
Ridley Scott
Budget
$87 million
Worldwide
$352 million

Hannibal Trailer

Hannibal | Original Teaser Trailer | Coolidge Corner Theatre

New Hannibal movie trailer

What Is Hannibal (2001) About?

Hannibal (2001) is set ten years after the Buffalo Bill case, when a disgraced FBI agent and a fugitive psychiatrist are drawn back toward each other. It is a pursuit thriller in which several parties close in on Lecter, each with a different motive.

Clarice Starling, played by Julianne Moore, is blamed when a drug raid goes badly wrong, and her career at the FBI stalls. Hannibal Lecter has meanwhile been living quietly in Florence under a false name, working as an art scholar. Mason Verger, a rich and badly disfigured man who survived an attack by Lecter, wants revenge and offers money to anyone who can find him. As Starling is pushed back toward the Lecter case, an Italian police inspector in Florence begins to suspect who the scholar really is.

If you are new to the saga, the film is easiest to follow after The Silence of the Lambs, although the setup here is enough to get you through.

Hannibal 2001 Cast: Who Plays Who?

Hannibal cast

More of the cast: Don McManus (Asst. Mayor Benny Holcombe).

Hannibal Stills

  • Still from Hannibal (2001)
    Hannibal (2001), still 1
  • Still from Hannibal (2001)
    Hannibal (2001), still 2
  • Still from Hannibal (2001)
    Hannibal (2001), still 3

Release Dates

MarketDateSource
USFebruary 9, 2001reportedboxofficemojo.com
UKFebruary 16, 2001reportedboxofficemojo.com
AUFebruary 15, 2001reportedboxofficemojo.com

Where to Watch Hannibal

MarketSubscriptionRent or buy
USfuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus, Kanopy, Hoopla, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, YouTube Free (Free, Free with ads)Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
UKNone listedApple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, YouTube
AUFoxtel NowApple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube, Fetch TV

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.

Who Directed Hannibal 2001, and Who Was Behind the Camera?

DirectorRidley Scott
WritersDavid Mamet, Steven Zaillian
ProducersMartha De Laurentiis, Ridley Scott, Dino De Laurentiis
MusicHans Zimmer
CinematographyJohn Mathieson

Box Office

Budget$87 million
Domestic (US and Canada)$165 million
International$187 million
Worldwide$352 million
Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars$669 million

Hannibal box office for every film.

Hannibal (2001) Soundtrack and Score

Hans Zimmer composed the score for Hannibal (2001), and the film's album, "Hannibal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", came out on Decca Records on February 1, 2001, with 12 tracks.

Three songs are featured in the film. The one with a clear place in the story is "Vide Cor Meum" by Danielle de Niese and Patrick Cassidy, which was written for the film. It plays during the Florence opera sequence, where Lecter attends a performance with Detective Pazzi and his wife Allegra while Beatrice sings the Dante setting on stage. It is the most memorable musical moment in the film (in my view, anyway), because the setting is so refined and Lecter is so out of place in it.

Two classical pieces also appear, and no source says either was written for the film:

  • "Vide Cor Meum" by Danielle de Niese and Patrick Cassidy
  • "Aria da capo (Goldberg Variations)" by Johann Sebastian Bach
  • "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II

The music sheet gives no scene for the Bach or Strauss pieces, so where they play in the film is left open here.

For the music across the whole saga, see the Hannibal soundtrack page on Cinvibe.

Hannibal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album cover

Hannibal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album · Decca Records · February 1, 2001 · 12 tracks

Cover art via Deezer

Full tracklist

  1. 1Dear Clarice · Hans Zimmer, Sir Anthony Hopkins6:03
  2. 2Aria da capo · Johann Sebastian Bach1:48
  3. 3The Capponi Library · Hans Zimmer1:15
  4. 4Gourmet Valse Tartare · Klaus Badelt6:50
  5. 5Avarice · Hans Zimmer3:55
  6. 6For a Small Stipend · Hans Zimmer0:56
  7. 7Firenze di notte · Martin Tillman, Mel Wesson3:09
  8. 8Virtue · Hans Zimmer, Sir Anthony Hopkins4:38
  9. 9Let My Home Be My Gallows · Hans Zimmer, Sir Anthony Hopkins10:01
  10. 10The Burning Heart · Hans Zimmer4:24
  11. 11To Every Captive Soul · Hans Zimmer6:55
  12. 12Vide Cor Meum · Danielle de Niese, Bruno Lazzaretti4:20

Songs in Hannibal

  1. Vide Cor Meum

    Written for the film

    Danielle de Niese, Patrick Cassidy

    Lecter attends an opera in Florence with Detective Pazzi and his wife Allegra while Beatrice sings the Dante setting on stage.

More songs in the film

Sources: musicbrainz.org, themoviedb.org, en.wikipedia.org

Hannibal soundtrack

Hannibal 2001 Plot Summary: The Full StorySpoilers

The full plot of Hannibal (2001) follows Starling, Verger and Inspector Renaldo Pazzi as they close in on Lecter, ending in a dinner scene and a final escape. Spoilers follow for the whole film, ending included.

Starling is sidelined after the deadly drug raid. Mason Verger, Lecter's only living victim, uses his wealth and his contacts at the Justice Department to press for Lecter's capture, because he wants to torture him. In Florence, Inspector Pazzi works out that the quiet scholar Dr. Fell is Lecter and hopes to collect Verger's reward. Lecter learns of this and kills Pazzi.

Verger's men then seize Lecter and take him to Verger's estate. Starling, who is searching for Lecter on her own, tracks Verger's plan and goes to the estate to find him. Lecter gets free of his captors, and Verger is left to be eaten by the specially bred wild boars he keeps. Starling is wounded, and Lecter takes her to safety and treats her.

He then lures Starling's corrupt superior, Paul Krendler, to dinner, drugs him and Starling, and serves Krendler part of his own brain. Starling tries to arrest Lecter, and the two fight. She ends up handcuffed to him, and he raises a cleaver over her wrist. The film cuts to Starling safe, with both hands intact, while Lecter escapes. Later, Lecter is shown on a plane, giving a boy a bite of food and saying it is good to try new things.

When Was Hannibal 2001 Released?

Hannibal (2001) opened in US theaters on February 9, 2001, according to Box Office Mojo, with Australia following on February 15 and the UK on February 16, 2001. The film is rated R in the US, 18 in the UK and MA 15+ in Australia.

The opening weekend was the story at the time. Hannibal took $58 million domestically, which was a record for an R rated film then. It finished with $165 million in the US and $187 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $352 million against an $87 million budget. For how that compares across the saga, see the Hannibal box office page.

Hannibal 2001 Ending ExplainedSpoilers

The Hannibal 2001 ending leaves Lecter free and Starling alive but unresolved: he spares her at the dinner table, escapes, and is last seen on a plane sharing a morsel of Krendler's brain with a boy. Spoilers follow for the ending in full.

What happens? Lecter has Krendler at his table and feeds him part of his own brain while Starling is under his influence. When she turns on him, he binds himself to her with handcuffs and threatens to cut off her hand to get away, but spares her and takes the cleaver to his own hand instead. The film then shows Starling raising both of her intact hands to the arriving police, and it is not shown how he got free.

What does it mean? In my opinion, the dinner is the point where Lecter decides how he wants to treat Starling: as a person he will not destroy. It could be argued that the handcuff set piece is built to make you believe the worst, and the cut to her unharmed hands is the film's way of reversing that expectation. Perhaps the most telling detail is that Krendler, Starling's corrupt superior, is the one who pays.

What is left open? Lecter ends up free on a flight to a new country, and Starling's fate and her future with the FBI are unresolved. As such, the film closes the story of Verger and Krendler but not the story of the two leads. Whether that is satisfying is a matter of taste, and I think the sequel ends in a bolder place than most thrillers dare to. Readers who want to compare it with the novel's version of events can start at Hannibal Lecter books vs movies.

Where Was Hannibal 2001 Filmed?

Hannibal (2001) was filmed in Florence, Italy and across the eastern United States, with principal photography beginning in Florence on May 8, 2000 and running about 16 weeks.

Florence stands in for Lecter's hiding place as the art scholar Dr. Fell. In the US, Washington Union Station in Washington DC was used for the Starling scenes, and Richmond, Virginia supplied other American locations. A barn location was found in Orange, Virginia. Verger's estate was filmed at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

The split follows the story: the Italian chapters follow Lecter and Inspector Pazzi, while the American chapters follow Starling, the Justice Department and Verger's estate.

Hannibal 2001 Trivia

The best known facts about Hannibal (2001) concern its casting and its record opening.

  • Ridley Scott signed on to direct while he was making Gladiator, after producer Dino De Laurentiis suggested he take the film.
  • Jodie Foster declined to return as Clarice Starling, and Julianne Moore played the role in her place.
  • Gary Oldman wore heavy makeup as Mason Verger and asked not to be credited in the original theatrical release.
  • Principal photography began on May 8, 2000 in Florence and ran about 16 weeks.
  • The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina was one of the filming locations.
  • The film opened to $58 million domestically, a record for an R rated film at the time.

Hannibal (2001) is the second film starring Anthony Hopkins as Lecter, which is why it is sometimes searched as "Hannibal movie 2". For the television side of the story, see the Hannibal TV series page.

Facts

FAQs

Where can I watch Hannibal 2001?

In the US, Hannibal (2001) streams on fuboTV, Philo, MGM Plus and the MGM+ Amazon Channel, is free on Kanopy and Hoopla, and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home, according to TMDB's JustWatch data checked on November 3, 2026. In the UK it is rent or buy only, and in Australia it streams on Foxtel Now. Availability changes often, so check the where to watch Hannibal page.

Why did Julianne Moore replace Jodie Foster in Hannibal?

Jodie Foster declined to return as Clarice Starling, so Julianne Moore played the role in her place. Moore is billed second, after Anthony Hopkins.

Which was the first Hannibal movie?

The first Hannibal Lecter film was Manhunter (1986), directed by Michael Mann, in which Brian Cox plays the character as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. See Manhunter 1986. The first film with Anthony Hopkins as Lecter was The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Hannibal (2001) is his second.

Which should I watch first, Hannibal or Silence of the Lambs?

Watch The Silence of the Lambs first. Hannibal (2001) is set ten years after the Buffalo Bill case and builds on Clarice Starling's history with Lecter. The full sequence is on the Hannibal movies in order page.

Who plays Mason Verger in Hannibal 2001?

Gary Oldman plays Mason Verger, the wealthy man who survived an attack by Lecter and offers a reward for his capture. Oldman wore heavy makeup for the role and asked not to be credited in the original theatrical release. See Mason Verger for the character.

How does Hannibal 2001 end?

Lecter threatens to cut off Starling's hand while the two are handcuffed together, but spares her and takes the cleaver to his own hand instead. The film then shows her with both hands intact, and Lecter is last seen on a plane to a new country, sharing a morsel of Krendler's brain with a boy.