Genuinely Scary Suspense Upheld With Wonderful Performances.

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2006)

"The Silence of the Lambs" is a genuine suspense thriller that is sure to satisfy anyone who enjoys a good old crime thriller. Jodie Foster brilliantly plays Clarice Starling, a strong willed, "tough girl type" FBI trainee, whose job is to track down a notorious serial killer by the name of "Buffalo Bill", who is kidnapping and slaying young women in the area. While investigating, in hopes of finding the killer, Clarice meets Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an incarcerated, blood-thirsty cannibal who holds information as to the whereabouts of Buffalo Bill. Clarice and Hannibal begin to form a strange relationship as she seeks him for help to find the serial killer and stop him before he kills his latest victim.
Easily one of the best and most sophisticated crime thrillers I've seen, "The Silence of the Lambs" is an excellent movie. To begin, the performances are what really shine here. Both Foster and Hopkins are award-worthy (and I believe Hopkins won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the malevolent Hannibal Lecter). Jodie Foster is completely believable in her role as the intelligent heroine, and really has the audience sympathizing with her. On the other hand is Lecter, wonderfully played by Hopkins - his character is one scary guy, I definitely wouldn't want to be near him. Their chemistry in the film is amazing, and the conversational scenes between them, both of them separated by bars or a glass wall, are tense and brilliantly acted. The performances all around are simply top-notch.
The plot itself is an intriguing one at that, and I liked the relationship that was formed between the FBI agent and the serial killer - it's all really interesting. Then, there's the serial killer that is the sole reason that Clarice has any relation to Lecter - because Lecter has information that could help her. The gender-bending Buffalo Bill is shown throughout the movie, kidnapping women, and the viewers get an insight into his bizarre world, mostly shown in his underground "chamber" under his house, where he skins and stores his victims, dead and alive, and wears their skins. The finale in the pitch-black basement/lair between Clarice and Buffalo Bill is genuinely terrifying, and will surely have you on the edge of your seat. Really one of the creepiest scenes that I've seen in a movie.
Overall, "The Silence of the Lambs" is a movie that you won't want to miss. The performances alone are enough reason to watch this film, Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are absolutely amazing. On top of that, it is a truly scary film and one of the most suspense-ridden thrillers out there. A definite must see. 10/10.