My Review of The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

 

Written by Ted Tally

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Hannibal: "Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?"

For a film that I've watched a good amount of times, I can't believe it's taken me this long to write an actual review for it on this blog but here we are. Yes, this was a movie that I saw when I was too young to see and it's stayed with me ever since.

To me, Anthony Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter. That's not being disrespectful to other actors who've assumed the role but his performance in this movie was so captivating and chilling in equal measure, it's hard not to be engrossed by his particular take on the iconic baddie.

It's funny that this was the second movie in a row where he's not actually the main threat but he's more effective than said threat and yet again, the main protagonist needed his assistance in catching the killer. This time around, it's FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who sought Lecter's counsel.

There are some performances that are defining for an actor, movie, genre etc and this film had two of them. For all the plaudits that I can level at Anthony Hopkins, I'd be remiss if I didn't do the same with Jodie Foster. She's utterly incredible through this entire movie as Clarice Starling. Then when she's in scenes with Hopkins, it's a whole other level of acting.

Clarice and Hannibal are magnetic to watch. They're able to get the measure of one another and there's a certain respect among two people on the very opposite sides of the law. That final phone call between Hannibal and Clarice was a brilliant way to cap off this film and to lead into a future encounter.

As for the villain himself, I do find Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) pretty effective, if not as engrossing as Hannibal and Clarice. His kidnapping of Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) drove the second half of the movie and there's a discussion on the nature of Bill's gender identity issues. It's not a flawless take on the issue but it's a honest one nonetheless.

- I find it really amusing that this movie got released on Valentine's Day. Who on Earth brought their date to this movie?

- There's some creepy stuff involving moths as well as Clarice bring assaulted with certain bodily fluids and her own harrowing past involving lambs.

- Standout music: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers American Girl.

- Chronology: Clarice was training at Quantico and Lecter got flown to Memphis. Throw in mentions and sightings of Montana, Ohio, LAX and Calumet City.

The Silence Of The Lambs has earned it's place in cinematic history. There's defining performances from both Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.  They're utterly captivating to watch from start to finish. One of the best movies, full stop. 

Rating: 9 out of 10