Silence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2008)

At times it seems that there aren't words to describe "The Silence of the Lambs", it truly is an endurance trial of the mind. The film is dark and psychologically disturbing throughout while also dealing with issues of sexism and strength. Director Jonathan Demme's adaptation of Thomas Harris' best-selling novel swept across the globe in 1991, eventually winning five Academy Awards and becoming a prestigious topic of discussion among critics.
Its moody influence crept across the popular 90s sub-genre of 'serial-thriller'. This lent The Silence of the Lambs a growing reputation for being an adult thriller of horror ike capabilities. The mythically monstrous and deliciously manipulative Hannibal Lecter became an immediate household name and now remains among the most popular fictitious villains in modern cinema. Such a figure could only be played by one man (has it become unimaginable to picture it any other way?) that man being Anthony Hopkins, who slipped himself into the role with matchless prestige, therefore giving birth to a cultural icon of both literature and cinema.
The movie starts with Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who is an FBI trainee, being called up from her classes to acquire information from a serial killer, Dr.Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), about a current killer known as Buffalo Bill. Bill is a man who wishes to be a transsexual but has been turned down for sex reassignment because of his volatility. Starling acquires a sort of cordial relationship with Lecter, who wishes her to divulge personal information about herself in return for his assistance with the case. The film is tense throughout. Scott Glenn turns in a pretty good performance as a director of the FBI division that Starling is entering. Lecter is chilling as he gives Starling information about Buffalo Bill and the Senator's daughter who has been kidnapped by Bill. The film is extremely suspenseful, I felt like yelling at the screen to tell me what was going to happen next. The suspense is most definitely on account of the film's taking you through out the twists and turns of your own psyche.
The acting is one of the most crucial aspects of the film. Since the film only revolves around a few characters a big cast of mixed stars in not necessary. Instead, the quality over quantity formula works exceptionally well. Anthony Hopkins got best actor award despite being confined to only seventeen minutes of screen time. He does his best in every scene and practically pours his heart as he makes such a realistic and haunting performance.
However Hannibal would obviously be a complete waste without Jodie Foster giving an equally impressive performance. She has a nice south American accent with a good amount of innocence to her. She is desperate to find Bill but has a weird relationship with Hannibal along the way. Ted Levine is the last major character in this film and probably the whole reason why everything happens. He doesn't have much screen time but still manages to put on a creepy and believable performance. He is somewhat humorous but still manages to remain sinister.
The Silence of the lambs works for a lot of factors. The cast plays a big part and so is the mood, setting, and cinematography. The movie is very dark most of the time and the cinematography complements this perfectly. The detail to the scenes works well as the setting is creepy and suspenseful. Hannibal's jail cells are nicely designed and contain a lot of aspects that show his character nicely. The movie keeps an excellent balance of suspense and drama. It is suspenseful throughout but has a nice dramatic element that is lacking in many films today. The climax is pulse pounding and the film has excellent closure that has it come full circle.
Even the DVD cover scares me. I would NOT recommend this for children obviously!!!!