iconic villain

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2015)

Trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is recruited right out of Quantico by Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) of the Bureau's Behavioral Science Services. He's investigating serial killer Buffalo Bill who skins his female victims. He's interviewing imprisoned killers but Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) refuses to cooperate. Starling is sent to talk to Lecter.
Director Jonathan Demme takes the serial killer genre onto another level. It is brilliantly intense and brutal. It's a solid entry but then there is Hopkins' Lecter. It is an iconic villain for all times. From the moment he first appears, he steals the movie. It's rare that somebody can produce a character that is so original and so memorable. He is so impressive that he actually overshadows the penis-tucked human-skinning lotion-basket transvestite serial killer. Foster is also pretty solid. She brings a competence to the role that is needed for the outrageous villains to shine.