An electrifying and brilliant thriller that is still an unforgettable cinematic triumph 25 years on.

Rating: 10/10 (7 June 2016)

It's hard to believe that 25 years ago The Silence of the Lambs was a huge box office success that garnered a lot of critical acclaim. It also did very well at the Academy Awards ceremony, netting 5 Academy Awards for all the major categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay). Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster have never been finer, and director Jonathon Demme was certainly at the top of his game. Based on the best selling novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs has done very well to uphold its stellar reputation as one of the finest thrillers of all time.
Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is an FBI trainee at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. She is specially handpicked by Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) of the Bureau's Behavioral Science Unit on the basis of her stellar academic achievements and performance as an FBI trainee. Crawford assigns her to interview the charismatic yet psychotic Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a former psychiatrist turned cannibalistic serial killer who is currently incarcerated in a maximum security prison. Clarice Starling has been assigned to see Hannibal Lector to provide an insight into a serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" aka Jame Gumb (Ted Levine), who kidnaps women and skins their corpses. Hannibal Lector agrees on the proviso that Clarice reveals personal information about herself and he is transferred away from Dr Frederick Chilton (Anthony Heald) and housed in a more comfortable prison. As the mind games continue between Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling, the pursuit of Buffalo Bill becomes a race against time when he abducts and takes prisoner his next victim Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith), who is also the daughter of US Senator Ruth Martin (Diane Baker).
Anthony Hopkins turns in a memorable and chilling performance as Hannibal Lector which will never be forgotten. It is also no surprise Hannibal Lector has topped (or even rounded out the top 5) list of the best all time villains.
Jodie Foster is also brilliant as FBI trainee Clarice Starling who is tough, intelligent, but vulnerable. Having forged her career as a child actress, and then coming of age after netting an Academy Award for Best Actress as a rape victim in The Accused (1988), Jodie Foster firmly makes her mark as one of the finest actresses as well as receiving a well deserved second Academy Award for Best Actress. Also Clarice Starling earns a well deserved spot as one of the best movie heroines right up there besides Ellen Ripley from the Alien series, Sarah Connor from The Terminator series, and Princess Leia from the Star Wars series.
Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford also does a brilliant job. Scott Glenn is a very versatile actor with an extensive career and here in The Silence of the Lambs, he always does an efficient and faultless job.
Ted Levine is chilling and creepy as Buffalo Bill. Ted Levine is another versatile actor but he puts in a very memorable, though infamous, performance as Buffalo Bill.
Director Jonathon Demme was an unusual choice after having directed numerous comedies including Married to the Mob (1988). Here he hits the ball completely out of the park with The Silence of the Lambs. Jonathon Demme has never been finer here, and this is certainly a movie that he will always be remembered for.
Writer Ted Tally has done a brilliant job bringing Thomas Harris' best selling novel to the big screen.
The Silence of the Lambs is an electrifying and brilliant thriller from start to finish and is still capable of keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins turn in their most memorable performances, and Jonathon Demme has never been finer. It's no surprise The Silence of the Lambs was a critical and box office success in 1991 and 25 years later, it is still a unforgettable cinematic triumph.
A well deserved 10/10.