Silence of the Lambs is an excellent in the thriller genre.

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2011)

Silence of Lambs is a crime thriller produced in 1991 by director Jonathan Demme. The screenplay was written by Ted Tally, taken from the novel written by Thomas Harris. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, is an FBI cadet who is assigned to interview the psychopathic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins. Starling gains the confidence of Lecter, a former psychiatrist turned killer/cannibal, in order to obtain information which may lead them to a serial killer tagged by authorities as "Buffalo Bill," who is killing and skinning women. During the interviews Lecter psychoanalyzes Starling and in turn, he states as "quid pro quo," offers clues which lead her to Buffalo Bill.
The theme of this film focuses on plot; good guy trying to catch bad guy. Within this basic theme is an underlying theme of change. This theme is characterized by motifs, or patterns that are repeated. Symbols of metamorphosis are present throughout the story. The killer is trying to turn himself into a woman by sewing together pieces of the women's skins. He places a cocoon, the embodiment of change, in their mouths when disposing of the bodies. When Starling kills "Bill," played by Ted Levine, a twirling picture displays a butterfly that appears to fly as it twirls.
Silence of the Lambs has a similar theme to the crime thriller film Se7en, produced in 1995 by director David Fincher. The theme of Se7en also focuses on plot: good guys after bad with an emphasis on human depravity which is symbolized by each murder. Victims are chosen by the sins they commit. Both films delve into the psychological profiles of both the killers and the detectives.
The use of color, particularly red, in the film foreshadows dramatic scenes that are relevant to the theme. The first time Starling goes in to see Lecter the lighting at the basement entrance is red and directed from the side giving a sense of foreboding. The room in which Bill performs his sewing contains lots of red objects. When Lecter is on the ambulance gurney (everyone believes it is the police chief), the strap across him is red. When Mr. Crawford, Starling's boss (played by Scott Glenn) is on the plane to Chicago, the lighting in the plane is red; as well as the van when the police stage a delivery.
Sound is also used in this film to help in building suspense and highlight theme. The most dramatic use of sound in this film was the doorbell scene. The police are raiding the house in Illinois and ring the doorbell. The buzzer goes off in the basement at Bill's house. At the same time Starling is ringing the doorbell at Bill's door. At first, you are not sure which house Bill is in.
The relationship between Starling and Lector is a driving force for the story. The use of color, sound, and motifs emphasizes and builds on the theme, which in turn creates the dramatic and suspenseful effects used in developing the plot of Silence of the Lambs.