The Most Brilliant Psychological Thriller

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2008)

The Silence of the Lambs is the only Horror genre movie to win the Best Picture Oscar. Both its male and female lead have won the Oscars for their performances. Sir Anthony Hopkins holds the record for the shortest on-screen role to get the Lead Oscar award. He hardly spends 16-18 minutes on screen and produces magic. These factoids and the well deserved high rating on IMDb was what drove me to watch this movie. And at no point of time, I felt that the movie enjoyed more praise that it deserved. It is a brilliantly done movie that deserves all the cheers and applause.
Jodie Foster is one my favorite actresses of all times. Her work in Contact, Flightplan, Anna and the King and other movies was praise worthy. And her role in Silence of the Lambs is perhaps her best role ever. She plays an FBI trainee who has been sent by the FBI to try and talk to Dr. Hannibal Lecter and seek his help in finding a serial killer. Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a serial killer himself, a brilliant psychiatrist with extremely intellectual insight into the human mind. Agent Starling is scared of her interaction with this madman Lecter. And you are scared of him because she is scared too. One of the very few actors who can show fear so beautifully on her face. She faces situations everyday in her life where is ends up being the only female in a room full of men. This no doubt is a source of discomfort for her and you can see it all over her face.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is not an average serial killer. He is a brilliant psychiatrist. His understanding of the human mind and his skill to dissect your thoughts by observing your facial expressions and listening to your voice is demonstrated early on in the movie. He is willing to help Agent Starling catch the serial killer but in return wants to diagnose her for he in her past he sees a tragic set of events that have contributed and are still contributing to her life. The game is on! Lecter gives his insights to Starling in exchange for her honest and candid information about her childhood. Every tiny aspect of this interaction is handled so wonderfully.
The director Jonathan Demme does not fail in any aspect. He builds the perfect package. The eventual track down of the serial killer, the suspense and the overall story is so well done. At no point of time does he resort in showing something that makes the movie conventional or unrealistic. The movie grips you with fear and keeps you at the edge of your seat till the very end of it. The movie is not about the serial killer and his mind but it is more about Agent Starling and her peculiar relationship with Dr. Lecter. But that still does not allow Demme to ignore his development and portrayal. The serial killer is believable and complex in his own right.
This movie is a classic. It is destined to be in the list of great movies for a very long time to come. And I am sure that should any actor try to step in the shoes of either of these characters, he or she would be taking a very big risk indeed. The characters are so strong that it is hard to imagine any other Agent Starling other than Foster and any other Dr. Hannibal than Sir Anthony Hopkins. (I'd recommend you see The Manhunter to see another actor try playing Dr. Hannibal and see for yourself.)
A must watch for all movie fans! Cheers!