"Oh Agent Starling, you think you could dissect me with this blunt little tool?"

Rating: Null/10 (25 April 2003)

This is one of those movies that force you to see exactly how ugly and how evil the world can be. While by no means the worst display of human cruelty I've ever seen, this one just grabs you in a way that few other films have. There are scenes in this that will literally have you on the edge of your seat, eyes unblinking. If you can only see one movie where Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter, please look no further. This is where you see just how frightening Lecter actually is. He's not a joke like he was in the sequel, nor is he an uninspired rehash like in Red Dragon, which is funny when you think of Red Dragon as a prequel. I read a review of the film somewhere that stated how unsettling Lecter is in his stillness, almost as if he is an animal ready to attack. I couldn't have said it better. It is a nod to the fact that you may one day be sitting across from someone who may look normal on the outside and yet be a monster on the inside. There's just too much good stuff I have to say about this movie that I'm actually beginning to feel overwhelmed by it all. There are so many small nuances that you just can't catch them all in one viewing. It's in the little things like the expressions and such. I'll say this much, it is easily one of the best films I have ever seen, period. It deserved to sweep the Oscars that year. Even Hannibal (the film) couldn't ruin the memory of this film for me. Watch this, especially if you don't know too much about the story line. Rating: ***** out of *****.