Jodie Foster is sent to the depths of psychological terror as she interrogates imprisoned serial killer Anthony Hopkins in the hopes that he might lead her to serial killer at large, Buffalo Bill.

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 1998)

Silence of the Lambs is a well constructed suspense/thriller taking us to depths of the human psyche that are repugnant to the Christian soul. And while we turn our heads and hide our eyes at grisly demise and naked evil, at the same time we are intrigued by the motivations and actions contained therein. Jodie Foster plays the role of Clarice Starling with a hardened vulnerability which surfaces in her encounters with Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). The first time I watched the movie, I was engrossed in all aspects of it- the disappearance of the senator's daughter, the mystery of Buffalo Bill, and the terrifying aspect of Hannibal Lecter. But in successive viewings, the part that stands out the most is the interaction of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. It is this interaction that allows this movie to transcend the genre of suspense/ thriller and defines a class unto itself. Lecter uses his finely tuned manipulative instincts to peel away the layers of Starling revealing the closely guarded motivation for her entire life's work. He delves beneath her mask of coolness and self sufficiency revealing her inner vulnerability. And somehow, while revealing the most intimate secrets about herself, she still manages to deceive Lecter and gain the upper hand- if only for awhile.
While this interaction is the core of the movie, there is a plot, and it is a very good one. For what I have outlined thus far could easily be a romance, but the twist is Hannibal Lecter is a serial killer with a very loose sense of morality and Jodie Foster is an FBI agent whose moral code is strict and uncompromising. And while Lecter is peeling layers from Clarice Starling's walls, he is chilling us with his icy demeanor- describing how he loves to eat human liver and fava beans- and leading Starling on a merry hunt for clues to the name of the elusive Buffalo Bill; who has captured another victim with time ticking away. In summary, the greatness of Silence of the Lambs lies in its ability to bring the demons of its heroine's past and intertwine them around a complex suspense/mystery, and keep the audience interested the entire time.