A brilliant underseen thriller movie is airing on TV tonight

Currently unavailable to even rent, now is your chance to check out the film that features the first onscreen appearance of one of the most famous characters ever.

Based on the beloved novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, the film follows Will Graham (William Petersen, CSI), a genius and former FBI criminal profiler who left the bureau after a nervous breakdown.

This was a result of being attacked by the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox, Succession), whom he captured.

Graham, however, is called out of retirement by his former superior, Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina, Snatch), to assist in the investigation into a serial killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan, Heat).

Despite his trauma, Graham visits the imprisoned Lektor in an effort to get further insight into the Tooth Fairy's possible motives.

"Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecktor and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang, Avatar)," the plot synopsis adds.

Manhunter is a seminal crime thriller for various reasons.

The movie marks the first onscreen appearance of Hannibal Lecter (albeit spelt slightly differently), six years before Anthony Hopkins would win an Oscar for playing the character in The Silence of the Lambs.

Also, though, the film is credited as being one of the first to draw parallels between detective characters and the criminals they are pursuing, suggesting they are more alike than one may think. This is a theme that Mann would return to in his 1995 crime epic Heat.

Incredibly stylish and boasting a haunting soundtrack as well, Manhunter was nevertheless a commercial and critical disappointment upon release. That said, it has been reassessed in the decades since as a cult classic. In fact, some regard it now as being the best of the Hannibal movies.

Manhunter is airing tonight on BBC Two at 11pm. It doesn't appear to be available to rent in Ireland or the UK at the moment, so now is the time to check it out.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Ocean's Eleven - Sky Showcase - 9pm

This terrifically fun crime caper sees George Clooney, Brad Pitt and nine others play thieves attempting to pull off an audacious Las Vegas heist.

Men in Black - Comedy Central - 9pm

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones team up in this brilliant sci-fi action comedy about government agents who monitor and police extraterrestrials.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Film4 - 9pm

The fun fifth entry in Tom Cruise’s action spy franchise.

Unlocked - Legend - 9pm

In this 2017 action thriller, a CIA agent (Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) forced to live in London after a failed mission is unexpectedly called back into action.

This is when it’s discovered that a terrorist attack is imminent.

Last Knights - Legend Xtra - 9pm

Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman star in this poorly received action drama based on the Japanese legend of the forty-seven rōnin.

London Has Fallen - ITV4 - 9pm

Gerard Butler stars in this action sequel, reprising his role of US Secret Service agent Mike Banning from Olympus Has Fallen.

In this follow-up, Banning is in London for the British Prime Minister’s funeral and discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.

Renegades - Legend - 11pm

Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons is amongst the cast of this 2017 action film with a low 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Enforcer - ITV4 - 11.05pm

The third entry in Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry action thriller franchise.

Standoff - Legend Xtra - 11.15pm

In this thriller, a troubled veteran (Thomas Jane) gets a chance at redemption by protecting a young girl from an assassin (Laurence Fishburne) after she witnesses a murder.

Taken - Film4 - 11.40pm

Liam Neeson stars as a man with a very particular set of skills…