Tense, grisly, suspenseful thriller

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2008)

The more I watch "The Silence of the Lambs" the more I think that Hannibal Lecter is given far too much attention. Anthony Hopkins' performance is the shortest ever to win an Oscar for best actor in a leading role, and it really isn't much of a leading role. Sure, he is an integral part of the movie both in performance and plot and he is the main feature of what is by far the film's greatest scene, but he is no more than a supporting character. A great supporting character at that. One need not look further than Ridley Scott's "Hannibal" to see that he works best in a more or less limited role. It is amazing that just about everyone who discusses this film, even 17 years after its release, focuses on no more than 16 minutes of the film's running time.
The only real lead character in the film is Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling. As effective as Hopkins is I'm going to have to say that Foster's performance is the best and most nuanced in the film. Without a really good actress in the lead role this film might have been a massive failure not only commercially but also simply in terms of the storytelling mechanics of the film. It is still to date Foster's finest performance, and she really gets a chance to shine in the final thirty minutes of the film.
"The Silence of the Lambs" is probably Jonathan Demme's best dramatic feature. His concert films and other documentaries are almost all excellent but "The Silence of the Lambs" is the only time a scripted effort from him has really been consistently excellent. The film still suffers minor issues, for example Demme's insistence on numerous occasions on having his actors deliver dialogue directly to the camera. It's rare that such an approach works and although it allows for some of the most memorable shots of Lecter in the film it also works against the tension building up in the scenes. All in all, however, Demme's work here is consistently excellent and two scenes in particular, both in the final hour of the film, stand out as some of the tensest, creepiest scenes in early 90's film.
Ted Tally's screenplay is essentially perfect given the sort of film this is. I'm not convinced he's a very strong writer in general, but he has enough to draw on from Thomas Harris' novel to write a tight, concise screenplay for the film. The score by Howard Shore is memorable and Tak Fujimoto's photography often lends the film just the sort of eeriness it needs.
"The Silence of the Lambs" features one of the most memorable escape sequences of all time but beyond that remains a film glorified for the wrong reason- a short, 16-minute long performance. Ted Levine's Buffalo Bill is creepy enough and Clarice Starling endearing enough that the rest of the film maintains the sort of edge most procedurals could only hope for. The cast, the script, the look of the film, it all just clicks to create one of the most entertaining films of this sort. Not perfect, but a great film nonetheless.
9/10