Talk to a serial killer to catch a serial killer

Rating: 9/10 (18 September 2016)

A serial killer, dubbed Buffalo Bill, has been murdering and skinning young women and the FBI are getting nowhere. Jack Crawford, the agent leading the investigation, decides to try something different; he sends trainee agent Clarice Starling to talk to incarcerated serial killer Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lector hoping that he might provide some insight; it won't be easy though; Lector likes to play mind games with people and he is soon trying to get young Clarice to reveal some personal secrets. Soon another body is discovered then Buffalo Bill kidnaps another victim; this time the daughter of a US Senator; with the clock ticking before he kills her the FBI offer Lector a deal; unfortunately the doctor in charge of the facility housing Lector tells him the deal isn't realÂ… he then arranges another deal and Lector is transferred to Tennessee. Here Clarice sees him one last time and, after revealing details of a childhood trauma, is put on the trail of Bill and into a potentially deadly situation.
This is an impressive thriller that is still effective after a quarter of a century and numerous spoofs of some of its most famous scenes. While the story is ostensibly about the hunt for Buffalo Bill it is as much about the growing relationship between Clarice and Lector as he gets her to open up about herself; something she has been warned about doing but does to gain his trust. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are both impressive in these roles. The rest of the cast, most notably Scott Glenn as Crawford and Anthony Heald as Dr Chilton are pretty good too. While there aren't a lot of violent scenes those that there are are particularly brutal. As the story approaches its conclusion the tension rises until the conclusion that remains very tense even after several viewings of the film. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to those wanting a solid thriller; just be warned it isn't for the faint-hearted.