The "Casablanca" of horror films.

Rating: 9/10 (2 May 2004)

This is quite possibly the scariest movie since "The Exorcist". Metaphorically speaking, Hannibal Lecter appears to be The Serpent to Clarice Starling's Eve. Hannibal is a member of elite society; a representation of the best our civilization has to offer. His Jeckyl-Hyde persona is a mockery of that civilization, and thus Satan-like. Starling, the would-be savior of the "lambs", is inexplicably drawn to him. This is without a doubt one of the best good-vs-evil stories ever filmed. The cast, from Anthony Hopkins, to Jodie Foster, to Anthony Heald as the creepy Dr. Chilton, to the unforgettable Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill, was remarkable. It would have gotten a 10, but certain plot elements weren't very plausible, such as the FBI assigning a student to the case. Otherwise it was a great film.