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Character Collision: Norman Bates vs. Hannibal Lecter

As I gear up to pit another pair of legendary serial killers against one another, I find myself remarkably intrigued, as this is the first instance in which two living, breathing, 100% human (I suppose) villains will tangle for the title of the toughest cko on screen.

Toeing the line tonight is the flesh-eating Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and the merciless stalker, Norman Bates. Who wins when these two tangle? Let’s find out!

Durability

How do you measure the durability of two men who could be put down with a mple bullet? I’m not completely certain myself, but I’ll look at the intangibles, and solve this riddle as we go.

Neither man is a particularly impong figure: and neither man has really engaged in excesve primitive fisticuffs. Lecter looks to be the bigger man, while Norman is certainly a crafty bastard with an eye on… well, all things really. Both possess plenty of experience dispong of human beings, though Norman is definitely more inclined to launch his assault on women, whereas Lecter doesn’t seem to care, so long as you make a fine meal. It’s a very, very close call…

Edge: I’m going to give a slight advantage to Lecter here, as he’s intelligent enough to keep himself in shape (and he’s served plenty of time in the slammer, which is the ideal surrounding for a daily push-up routine), and he’s so well versed in the human anatomy that I’ve got to think he knows what to tone, and what he can endure. Norman’s a bit on the frail de, and I’m inclined to believe he cannot withstand the damage Lecter can: the tip of the hat goes to Lecter.



Combative Creativity

Once again, we’re dealing with a category that seems like dead-heat material. Norman Bates is no doubt willing to utilize any potentially life threatening weapon at his disposal. He’s also not timid when it comes time to swing away (“Merrill!”, we’ll see who gets that one). In short, Norman will pull your plug with just about anything handy.

Flip the coin and you’ve got Lecter: a man who’s got the medical skills on lock, and tends to favor discretion while issuing his unique brand of punishment. The major difference here is, if there’s no scalpel on hand, Hannibal will be more than happy to sharpen his teeth on the anatomy of man. He may not be known for the most amazing murder methods, but I’ll be damned if he’s not effective.

Edge: Once again the edge goes to Hannibal. Why you ask? Intellect is the answer my friends. This man doesn’t require anything other than he himself to slaughter his victims, and he’s brilliant. If you’re going to throw creativity in the mix, you’ve got to favor the man with an IQ of 298.



Defenve Skills

Let’s be honest, and very brief: ze and brainpower alone see Lecter hold a zeable advantage in the defenve department. He may not be as eluve as Norman, but he’s bright enough to cancel out any hopes of a Bates evaon.

Edge: Lecter, all day and night!



Grand Assessment; Final Prediction

This collion equates to the genre’s Ali versus Foreman bout. Norman will do everything in his power to stop Lecter, and he’ll unveil his arsenal early, dishing out a bit of fair though ultimately ineffective punishment. Lecter plays the Ali rope-a-dope routine, waits for his moment and sends Norman to the dirt, with what looks like ease. A betting man may throw a few bucks on the unpredictable underdog, Norman Bates, but Lecter has this collion all mapped out before it ever even begins. Dr. Hannibal Lecter walks away with a clear cut bloody victory, and some loose flesh stuck in his chompers!

I whole-heartedly agree! Also have to mention the fact (as indicated in the movie Hannibal) that Lector has absolutely no fear. And although the pickpocket got his wallet, look what happened to that guy? And the Italian detective, and his goons...Oh and the fact he evaded authorities in the US and became the Curator of an art museum in Italy? He's definitely an eluve sort.

I'd love to see a movie involving 2 brilliant serial killers stalking each other in a giant city. Oh wait, they already have that - I love Dexter