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1-Page Summary of Red Dragon
Overall Summary
Thomas Harris wrote a book called Red Dragon. It was adapted into a film, Manhunter, in 1986. The movie did not do well at the box office but later developed a cult following. However, Silence of the Lambs (1991) became an even bigger hit and won several awards. Hannibal (2001) also received critical acclaim and won an Oscar for Anthony Hopkins’s performance as Hannibal Lecter. A new version of Red Dragon came out in 2002 that performed better financially than its predecessor but still didn’t get great reviews from critics or fans of the series.
In 1975, Will Graham captured Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer. He suffered serious injuries from this encounter and soon retired. Three years later, another serial killer called “The Tooth Fairy” is on the loose. This killer stalks and murders entire families at random but only during the full moon. The Jacobi family in Birmingham Alabama was the first family killed; then it was the Leeds family in Atlanta Georgia’s turn to be slaughtered by The Tooth Fairy. Graham’s mentor Jack Crawford visits him and pleads with him to help catch The Tooth Fairy because he is their last hope of catching this maniac who keeps killing whole families for no apparent reason other than perhaps enjoying watching people die or maybe just out of sadism; whatever his motive might be they need someone like Will Graham who has already caught one psychopathic murderer before to do so again now that he’s retired since nobody else can figure out how to stop this madman except for him—the only person capable of doing so being none other than Will Graham himself!
The Tooth Fairy’s true identity is known only to the readers. He works as a production chief at a processing firm, and his name is Francis Dolarhyde. He has another personality called “The Red Dragon,” which he cannot control. The reader learns about all of the abuse Dolarhyde suffered as a child that contributed to his violent behavior.
The author continues to investigate the case and is watched by a sleazy tabloid reporter. The jailer discovers Lecter’s correspondence with Dolarhyde, which tells him Graham’s address. His wife and stepson are evacuated while he tries to intercept the letter secretly, but fails due to Lounds’ interference. Lounds finds out about it and tries to trick Graham into giving information on the case, but is caught in his attempt. He gives an incorrect interview calling Dolarhyde impotent homosexual, which angers him so much that he kidnaps Lounds and tortures him until death takes over.
Dolarhyde falls in love with a co-worker, the blind Reba McClane. He tries to resist his possession by the dragon, but fails and assaults a museum worker and eats the Blake painting that originally inspired him.
The killer had to know the layout of his victims’ houses. Graham realizes that he can find out who it is by going through a film-processing lab, where he has access to everyone’s home videos. The killer sees him and realizes that it will be hard for him to hide from Graham now, so he goes to see Reba one last time because she is talking with someone whom she doesn’t like very much. The killer murders this person and kidnaps Reba thinking her unfaithful. He takes her back home but sets it on fire, planning on killing both himself and Reba in the process. However, when the moment comes for him to shoot her, he cannot do it; instead the shotgun fires without anyone pulling its trigger and hits a body lying on the floor nearby. This allows Reba an opportunity escape before being killed herself or burned alive in Dolarhyde’s house as well as save other lives by preventing Dolarhyde from committing any more crimes than what was necessary for him not feel alone anymore by having someone close enough to love him unconditionally despite all of his flaws just like how Reba did at one point during their relationship together.
