The Movie takes off ten years after Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) escaped from custody and Clarice Starling (formerly played by Jodie Foster, now played by Julianne Moore), graduated as an FBI agent, by helping them catch Buffalo Bill, the serial killer, and rescue his female prisoner.

Now, Lecter hears news that agent Starling has been shamed and her reputation in the FBI tainted because of a fatal mistake that she made while attempting to bring down a mob of drug dealers. Lecter contacts Starling, and when FBI official Paul Krendler (Liotta) hears about the contact he reassigns Clarice to capturing Hannibal. Mason Verger (Oldman) who was grossly disfigured and the only victim that has survived Hannibal, is offering a high price in exchange for Hannibal, and that is the motivation for the wanted capture.

In Florence, Italy, detective Rinaldo Pazzi (Giannini) believes he has discovered the whereabouts of Hannibal Lecter and chooses to pursue Lecter himself in order to receive the 3 million reward offered by Verger. He miscalculates the dangers of Lecter and ends up hanging from a balcony, gutted.

Hannibal and Clarice arrange to meet but Verger's thugs capture him and take him to Verger's mansion where the plan is to feed him, feet first, to cannibalistic pigs. As they lower Lecter into the pit, Clarice shows up, a shoot out occurs, the pigs break free, Clarice is shot, the pigs devour Verger's thugs, but Hannibal escapes with Clarice in his arms.

When FBI agent Krendler arrives home he is drugged by Lecter. Clarice, also drugged wakes up wearing an evening gown and her bullet wound has been mended. She calls the police then goes downstairs to find Hannibal there, with Krendler tied up at the table. In the disgusting scene that follows, Hannibal removes Krendler's hat to expose his brain and cut a slice off to fry in the pan that he has set up. He proceeds to serve the now mentally stunted Krendler a piece of his own brain.

Hannibal escapes just as the police arrive. On the plane he feeds a little boy a piece of the brain that he took with him.

Although this movie was not a complete disaster, it is not what I expected for a sequel to Silence of the Lambs. It was lacking the emotions and intellect of its prequel, and I missed Jodie Foster in the role of Clarice. My rating for this movie is a 2.5.