As Classic Hands Down

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2019)

"The Silence of the Lambs" is so good it's hard to believe it was ever made. That one movie could contain two of the greatest performances of all time, the greatest detective story ever put on film, and remain endlessly entertaining 28 years after its release is truly amazing. Every actor, every shot, every scene, and every line is brilliant. Clarice Starling is maybe my favorite movie heroine and certainly one of my favorite characters. Foster's Oscar-winning performance creates someone who's both brave and honest but also very relatable, allowing the audience to be so emotionally invested in her story that it's impossible to turn away during any of the movie's 118 minutes.
Then of course there's Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter - by far the best performance of his career. Hopkins manages to be both menacing and gracious as this cultivated serial killer, it's one of the most unique pieces of acting in cinema history and his Best Actor Oscar was well deserved. Jonathan Demme's direction is spot-on: he crafts a chilling atmosphere and a realistic, believable world that makes the film's story all the more engaging. Another director might've turned Thomas Harris' novel into a cliche slasher movie, but Demme transformed it into one of the most effective dramas of all time. "The Silence of the Lambs" is one of my favorite movies and I couldn't recommend it more. 10/10.