Very Effective Thriller But Ultimately Overrated

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2005)

It's impossible to comment on SILENCE OF THE LAMBS as being a mere film . Its release was a watershed in popular culture and has influenced a myriad of imitations that are far too numerous to mention . Much of this success is down to director Jonathan Demme who has made the film so effective by coming up with the strikingly simple idea of filming everything in dim lighting which gives SILENCE a moody and brooding atmosphere that was absent from movies in the previous decade . Ironically enough this is as typical of 90s film making as MANHUNTER was of 80s movies . Howard Shore's score also helps the proceedings and Jodie Foster gives a sublime nuanced performance as vulnerable heroine Clarice Starling . Watch the scenes closely when Clarice is in the company of men , don't you get the feeling she has a phobia about the male of the species . Is she a victim of sexual abuse in her childhood ? A lesbian ? We never find out but Foster's performance is multi layered and it's a pity this aspect is never explored in HANNIBAL which sadly deletes this aspect to Clarice
Sadly SILENCE was released with a tidal wave of hype which the film doesn't live up to . Who can forget the stories that upon seeing this at the cinema certain audience members wanted armed escorts back to their cars ! I'm sorry but despite being a good thriller it's not that good and I fail to see how people were turned into quivering jellies unable to sleep with the lights off . I'm also afraid to say that much of the awards heaped upon the film aren't that well deserved either . Foster deserved the Oscar as did the film and possibly Demme too but did Ted Tally for his adapted screenplay ? All he seems to have done is to copy the best bits of Harris's novel wholesale into the screenplay without making an effort to improve anything . and i'll probably be accused of sacrilege but the more times I see this film the more times I ask myself how did Hopkins win the Oscar for Best Actor ? I don't even think Hopkins should have qualified for the Best Actor category since the role isn't on screen long enough and his performance is slightly hammy . Hannibal as played by Hopkins resembles something along the lines of a paedophile rather than a serial killer who has maimed , murdered and munched on adults . Despite having some reservations of Brian Cox as Hannibal in MANHUNTER you do believe his burly presence does have the physical strength to overpower his victims , not so Hopkins
I know it's very difficult , perhaps even impossible , but the best way to enjoy this movie is to erase from your mind the fact that it's one of only three movies to have picked up the Oscar in all five main categories , the fact that it made headlines about being the most terrifying film committed to celluloid , and the fact that it stands as the 28th best movie ever on this website . It is a very good thriller but one that is ultimately disappointing after hearing of the hype surrounding it