Smart thriller, beautifully character driven

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2008)

Clarice Starling (Foster) interviews cannibal Dr Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) in an attempt to track down serial killer Buffalo Bill.
No amount of praise that comes into this world will be enough to recognize the brilliance of this picture. Intelligent, quick witted, psychotic, different, shocking, tense and beautifully acted, the list of positives simply continues.
The most recognized feature of this film is more than likely Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the evil Hannibal Lecter. An extremely intelligent man who simply knows everything, he IS the epitome of evil.
His smart sophistication and intelligence is brought to the screen in a vivid and shocking manor when dealing with FBI trainee Clarice Starling. The pairing of Jodie Foster (The Accused) and Hopkins (World's fastest Indian) is a thing of art. With Clarice's entry into the crime world and Hannibal's experience, we see a wonderful reflection of life. The past, the present and the future all intellectually driven by Lecter. Ideologies of investigation, nightmares and diagnosis's are all brought to the screen in a shocking manor, brought to an astounding light and credit to the actors who both received Oscars for their acts. Though Hannibal has hardly any screen time he is the stand out figure of the picture and will leave a devastating effect in the viewer's mind that will never be erased.
Based on Thomas Harris' novel, this tells the story of Clarice, coming into the FBI world, unaware of anything and still haunted by her past.
Unlike many crime films out there, this 1991 Oscar winning picture is beautiful in crafting character but also delivering a knockout issue driven plot, combining the two most important elements of films. This is achieved through some intelligent portrayals, but a grasping realistic direction tactic by Jonathan Demme.
The plot is consistent with the dramatic ideology of the serial killer driving the film forward. There are a couple of scenes that are questionable, and a second viewing is usually necessary to capture all the necessary information.
Having never read the book myself, I find this to be a shocking tale that the book may either offer so much more, or put a dent on the picture. Either way, the film is a necessity for any film fanatic.
Smart and sophisticated, Silence of the Lambs is fast and flowing, beautifully realistic with a great line of characters, and one of the greatest on screen villains in history.