A thriller that never fails to grip you after multiple watches

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2017)

*Very slight spoiler within the second paragraph, and big spoiler in third* Silence of the Lambs is a must watch for thriller fans all around, with a story that will entice you within the chase to catch a serial killer.
The plot involves Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) trying to catch a serial killer with the help of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), another serial killer already captured with insight into the case. The dynamic between Clarice and Hannibal is enthralling, with Clarice working through Hannibal's cryptic clues about the case and witnessing the growing interest Hannibal has in Clarice, especially as more of her personal life gets revealed to him and we have to wonder what he will do with the information he has obtained.
The tension within this film has to be one of the biggest strengths of the film. Every scene with Hannibal and Clarice has you feeling the tension as you become enthralled within every interaction. Special mention also has to go to a scene near the end of the movie, which I will just refer to as the "night-vision scene" which manages to make me worry for Clarice every time I see it despite knowing what will happen at the end.
One criticism of the film I have however is with Hannibal's involvement within the movie and how it's presented. The movie presents him as an intelligent and extremely manipulative and dangerous person. However, it seems like he only knows anything about this case because he just so happens to know about the serial killer and details about him already, so rather than him showing his intelligence. If you wanted a film which actually sees him working out who the serial killer is, then Red Dragon is probably the better film within this one instance.
In conclusion, Silence of the Lambs is a fantastic film, and certainly one of the strongest entries within the Hannibal franchise (this and the Hannibal TV show are neck and neck in quality), and the strongest within the movie entries.