Very creepy performance by Tom Noonan.
yes he's incredible, creepy and also somewhat moving, sympathetic...all the scenes between him and Joan Allen are great, and the use of music on these moments is inspired (the Shriekback's tracks "Coelocanth" and "This big hush", also The Prime Movers's "Strong as i am") I mean, the tiger scene, so out of this world!!!
The theatrical cut is perfectly fine in my opinion so i tend to prefer it to the director's cut in part because like you say the picture quality isn't very good in the director's cut, they haven't restored the missing bits.
In the DC there are more little scenes with Molly's character (Kim Greist), i like the "Time is luck" bedroom scene between her and Graham/Petersen in the hotel for example, i guess putting not these bits in the theatrical cut enhanced more the loneliness and breakdown of Graham's character, isolated, far from his family. The scene at the end when Graham comes to visit the family which should have been the target of Dollarhyde is interesting i think, it has a slightly ambiguous feel.
The interviews on the Blu Ray special release are interesting i think, especially the composers/musicians and the director of cinematography Dante Spinotti who has made an outstanding work in this film, like in Mann's next films ("The insider", "Heat", "The last of the Mohicans...) ..."Manhunter" is still an hypnotic and fascinating film, after all these years, its dream-like icy disturbing atmosphere is quite unique, i think! I don't really think of others thrillers/serial killer movies with this kind of surreal dream-like mood, Mann's "The Keep" has this kind of atmosphere but it's a gothic horror/war movie..
