I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs and i still remember how two very old ladies were petrified n blabbering about the movie to my dad and one thing which stayed with me after that conversation was the praising of Hopkins acting by the two grumbling old geezers.
I revisited it in the early 2k on a dvd which I own and was in awe by Hopkins mesmerizing performance.
Revisited it the third time today but this time with my kids as they are 18 now but my wife is still not agreeable.
Everything has been said about this first class thriller n there seems to be nothing left but i jus wanna contribute a lil by praising the performance of Hopkins.
In the entire movie, it is Hopkins' screen presence n footage which keeps u glued.
His character is charismatic but very dangerous that u don't wanna be rude with him.
Some scenes are far fetched but like i said it is the mesmerizing performance by Anthony Hopkins which is the highlight.
The Silence of the Lambs
1991
Action / Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
The Silence of the Lambs
1991
Action / Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
F.B.I. trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) works hard to advance her career, while trying to hide or put behind her West Virginia roots, of which if some knew, would automatically classify her as being backward or white trash. After graduation, she aspires to work in the agency's Behavioral Science Unit under the leadership of Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn). While she is still a trainee, Crawford asks her to question Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins),a psychiatrist imprisoned, thus far, for eight years in maximum security isolation for being a serial killer who cannibalized his victims. Clarice is able to figure out the assignment is to pick Lecter's brains to help them solve another serial murder case, that of someone coined by the media as "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine),who has so far killed five victims, all located in the eastern U.S., all young women, who are slightly overweight (especially around the hips),all who were drowned in natural bodies of water, and all who were stripped of large swaths of skin. She also figures that Crawford chose her, as a woman, to be able to trigger some emotional response from Lecter. After speaking to Lecter for the first time, she realizes that everything with him will be a psychological game, with her often having to read between the very cryptic lines he provides. She has to decide how much she will play along, as his request in return for talking to him is to expose herself emotionally to him. The case takes a more dire turn when a sixth victim is discovered, this one from who they are able to retrieve a key piece of evidence, if Lecter is being forthright as to its meaning. A potential seventh victim is high profile Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith),the daughter of Senator Ruth Martin (Diane Baker),which places greater scrutiny on the case as they search for a hopefully still alive Catherine. Who may factor into what happens is Dr. Frederick Chilton (Anthony Heald),the warden at the prison, an opportunist who sees the higher profile with Catherine, meaning a higher profile for himself if he can insert himself successfully into the proceedings.
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Rare to experience a dark n twisted thriller aided by top notch performances, tight script n direction.
Getting A Good Consultant
It seems as though there is a serial killer out there who's grabbed the daughter of a United States Senator and this guy has zoomed right to the top of FBI's Most wanted. This man's modus operandi is to keep the victims alive for a while before killing them so they're racing against time to find him. Desperate situations call for desperate measures.
The desperate measure is, you want to catch a serial killer, bring in one as a consultant. That's why FBI trainee Jodie Foster goes to visit Anthony Hopkins in prison. Hopkins is not just a killer who eats his victims, he's a brilliant psychologist himself with insights maybe no one else has.
Of course his price are some cheap insights into Jodie Foster's soul, thrills he probably got when he was in practice.
The Silence of the Lambs in less capable hands could have just been another cheap slasher flick. Instead the leads who walked off with the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress give riveting performances of a sick twisted psycho and a woman who became the biggest feminist icon since Sigourney Weaver by confronting some demons of her own. It's the best work that Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster have ever done and let's not forget the Oscars won by Director Jonathan Demme and the Picture itself for being the Best in 1991.
A couple of players who made their marks on television later on also score well here. Anthony Heald who was Buffy the Vampire Slayer's handler plays the psychiatrist in the institute where Hopkins is incarcerated and who Hopkins makes a fool of and says at the end he's far from done with. Also Ted Levine who is Captain Stottlemeyer on Monk plays the serial killer the FBI is trying to catch. Also look for a good performance by Brooke Smith as Levine's potential victim.
The Silence of the Lambs with its taut direction and riveting performances has an appeal far beyond the horror genre. See it and you'll know what I mean.
Truly enthralling film and not one to forget
I have seen some great movies, old or new. The Silence of the Lambs is an amazing one, while not my personal favourite of the year of 1991 it was a well deserved Best Picture win in my opinion.
Jonathan Demme's direction is superb, the film is shot in a ceaselessly atmospheric manner and Demme never lets the suspense drop. The story from start to finish is enthralling, and the script is tense and thought-provoking.
The Silence of the Lambs is wonderfully acted as well. Jodie Foster is the one who holds the film together and her performance here is one of her most excellent, and I mustn't forget Ted Levine who is very chillingly effective as Buffolo Bill. Anthony Hopkins however steals the film, it is his perhaps most iconic character and he proves that although he is in only a portion of the film his performance lives long in the memory.
All in all, amazing. 10/10 Bethany Cox