Watched it again recently...

Rating: 6/10 (6 May 2013)

Saw this movie when it first came out and thought it was pretty great. Suspenseful, well-acted, different....and critics were heavy-handed with praise; which probably heavily influenced my opinion. Recently re-watched it, and had a more critical opinion. 1) What was the deep inner turmoil that Starling was suppressing all those years? That she saw a lamb get slaughtered on a farm as a young girl? So what??? 2) Did she REALLY surmise ANYTHING from the "clues" he gave. Seems she somewhat randomly stumbles onto his house. 3) Too many closeups; too many plot contrivances. Nearly every scene is a closeup shot. Adds intensity at first, but quickly becomes annoying. That Lechter could uncuff himself from behind with the tip of a pen and overtake the two Keystone cops, not very believable. Less believable that he was ever placed is some makeshift iron box in the middle of a library or gymnasium. 4) She chases him down into his night vision dungeon? C'mon!! OK I get it for the movie's sake...but way too unrealistic. And with all the FBI's resources and knowledge they're somewhere else storming the empty house of a false lead? C'mon.