Redux: tried this before and apparently it only linked the IMDB page....

I know this is an old one, but it was my first real experience with a "WTF?!? The book was so much better!" scenario.

In the movie, the detective is given a relatively small part and discarded as a way to force Hannibal to leave the relatively comfortable life he had setup for himself in Europe. In the book, a fair amount of character growth is centered on the detective, showing his progress of piecing together the bits and determining that Hannibal Lecter, one of the most wanted men in the world, is living in Florence under an alias.

The investigation from the perspective of the detective, how he is working diligently, piecing together bits, chasing down facts, his internal thought processes and his ultimate fate are meant to ultimately show that Hannibal is more intelligent than many give him credit for - that he has been five steps ahead the whole time and he is even more the monster for his acts given his ruthlessness, cunning and intelligence.

Murdering the detective when he was at what would be the climax of a detective story (finally catching the bad guy) in such an quick way (severing the artery in his leg, quickly and quietly without drawing attention, then slipping away unnoticed by those around) add to the danger, and the mystery of this deranged man.

This is all still tied into his setup for the finale, where he attempts to brainwash Clarice. While his attempts to "bring back Mischa" fail, he is still ultimately successful in luring Clarice over to him and going off together after killing and eating an FBI agent together.

The ending with the opera scene, Barney noticing Hannibal and Clarice in formal attire, three years later, show that he was successful - she is with him, the way he wanted, and the "musical tone" that is supposedly able to break her brainwashing either having no effect (a McGuffin in that there is no way for her to break his control), or to others viewed as the fact that he was able to win Clarice over and she is there willingly with him.

All things considered, the movie was still good, but lacked so much depth and comparison that I cannot watch it without feeling letdown every time.