Do you see?

The challenging dual roles of troubled loner Francis Dollarhyde (spelt "Dolarhyde" in Red Dragon) and psychopath "The Tooth Fairy" are played by the familiar actor Tom Noonan.

• See here for Ralph Fiennes as Francis Dolarhyde in "Red Dragon" (2002)

Although an accomplished writer, producer and director in his own right, Noonan will be recognised by many cinema fans for his [often extreme] bad-guy performances in [flawed] blockbusters including Last Action Hero (1993) (as The Ripper) and in Robocop 2 (1990) (as ultra bad-guy Cain).

Fans of the cult kids movie "The Monster Squad" will also recall Tom's performance as Frankenstein (1987)

After his highly praised turn as Francis, fans of Michael Mann were delighted to see Noonan once again work with the Manhunter maestro in his 1996 Crime Epic "Heat" (as wheelchair-bound criminal technological expert Kelso) Although the part was a small one, shooting the scene with Robert De Niro must have been a great thrill for Tom.

A Stunning Performance.

Tom's performance as Dollarhyde in Manhunter must surely rank as his best. To portray such a complex (and ultimately violent character) without going gratuitously over the top would be a challenge to even the greatest of actors, but Noonan comes through with flying colours.

My favourite scene featuring Dollarhyde, is when he is waiting outside Reba McClane's house in his van. (NB - fans of the movie will note that this is when the song 'Strong As I Am' by The Prime Movers starts to play). The look of excitement on Dollarhyde's face as Reba arrives home is so convincing. Furthermore, - the way in which it suddenly turns to anger, as he realises that Reba has been driven home by mutual work colleague Ralph Dandridge is another piece of great acting in my opinion.