One of the landmarks of the thriller genre.

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2009)

Everyone knows this one; it's a pop culture gem and an icon in the realm of detective/thriller movies. Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lector, an unstoppable pairing and a pleasure to watch - Anthony Hopkins' performance is amazing, and Jodie Foster is always smart, snappy and cute as hell. The supporting actors are okay, sometimes becoming a little hammy or whatever, but never distracting from the film.
I think the main selling point of this is Hannibal himself, whose psychological musings and mind games make this movie stand out from others of its kind. Just take a look at his talks with Clarice Starling in the mental asylum - that is chilling. The other inmates are kind of creepy, but they're more silly than anything, and are overshadowed by Lecter himself. The dialogue in these scenes is just great, worth the whole price of admission by itself.
The movie flows well, wasting no time and generally being solid in every area, albeit not truly astounding in any of them, either. The story is basically as solid a detective story as you'll get, with every scene making you wonder what is about to happen next. Perhaps the most exciting part of the movie has nothing at all to do with the whole serial killer deal, as it is when Hannibal escapes from prison. You have to see it to find out what I mean - it is truly electrifying and suspenseful.
If you haven't seen this yet, you should rectify that immediately. This is a definite genre classic and certainly one any self-acclaimed movie buff needs to see. Recommended.