Gnaw its way to the Mind Terror

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2007)

"Silence of the lambs" is one of the masterpieces of the last decade. And does it have its reasons. First of all, it's entirely dependant on the terror that gnaws all the way to the mind of the viewer. The decline of the Human Being is magnificently chiseled with one liners that amusingly depict the killers and psychopaths state of mind and approach us carefully into a nature that is deformed, evil and sick of the Man's putrefaction.
The main spectacle is drawn between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Both entirely relevant to the movie, they produce a bright contrast and with their performances they nail the feelings right and expose one of the best duels on movie history. This duel, although, is not conventional. Clarice Starling (Foster) will use Hannibal Lecter's (Hopkins) profound knowledge of the criminal mind to capture the infamous Buffalo Bill. But Hopkins will play a game in which their personalities will engage in a retroactive combination, in a "quid pro quo" mind spar: she will have to expose her most profound, hidden secrets to Lecter, so he can also dispatch on his pleasure of analyzing the suffering of others. Both of them reveal all of their character's whole personality with their eyes: Foster is in constant pressure, scared but facing the natural Hades with courage and Hopkins shows human emptiness in his eyes, windows to what is a world full of depravations.
Ted Levine is truly scary. You get the impression that he is the true Buffalo Bill, twisted and perverse. He shows absolutely no human, recognizable aspect. He is a terrible villain.
The movie will straightly envelop you in an obscure labyrinth where the human mind is retorted and rotten, with a depressing score and settings that are grey, murky and never joyful. One has to see it to get a close approach on the dark side of the mind it or at least, to make their spirit shake and tremble.