Foster, Hopkins, and the film itself are all great

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2006)

This is another film in which so many aspects of it have been written, critiqued, and analyzed that I seriously wonder why I am even bother writing a review of it. Based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Harris, LAMBS is film that manages to successfully play to both cerebral and visceral senses without slighting one for the other. In other words, those looking for an intelligent psychological thriller will be rewarded with an articulate script and strong performances, while slasher fans will reveal in such genre staples as a transvestite killer who skins bodies. Jonathan Demme's taunt direction ties all the elements together flawlessly, and delivers outstanding performances from his stars.
Jodie Foster brings her innate intelligence and charming naivetÃ© to her role of FBI agent Clarice Starling, and she should receive major kudos for portraying her character's strength as stemming from her brain rather than any pumped-up Sigourney Weaver-esquire physical prowess. Anthony Hopkins also delivers a tremendous performance that and belies his relatively brief screen time with immense effectiveness. He is so menacing that it feels like he's everywhere, even though he is only on-screen for roughly one-fourth of the picture. Scott Glenn and Kasi Lemmons are fine, but underused - this is the Foster and Hopkins show all the way! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were certainly fans of the film, as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS swept the Academy Awards, deservedly winning Oscars in all five major categories. This was only the third film in history to do so.
A perfect motion picture.