Thriller for Thriller haters

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2001)

This film is supposed to be scary, and it is. The tension throughout is unbelievable. However, unlike others in the "thriller" or "horror" genre, the horror is never gratuitous or hard to take. As such, being a hater of this genre, I only got around to watching this several years after it was made. Now I wish I had seen it before.
Unlike the villains who cut and slash in the standard horror films, we understand that the psychos in this film have motivation. You actually feel empathy for these people, even the man who doesn't have any - Hannibal Lecter. You feel sorry that this obviously cultured, intelligent and, yes, dedicated man is trapped not in a prison, but by the fact his brain can't stop him from carrying out the worst things he can imagine. As such, this film sheds as much light on the criminally insane as any twelve films that could be made about Charles Manson or any of his ilk. Demme actually tries to understand what makes Hannibal the man he is, and in the end we start to understand as well.
Add to this an excellent plot, engaging characters, and "good guys" that seem more out of it than the villains and you have a must see movie even for the most squeamish.
That being said, I hope the sequel can live up to the original. I have my doubts, but all being said, I hope Ridley Scott pulls it off.