The first Lector killing we witness takes around 15 minutes of build-up. From there you see a few killings every few minutes or so. Then another lull, then some more killings. If you think I'm just watching this movie for the death, I think you should realize that this movie is about a man who eats human flesh. That's really all there is to this picture.
Starling makes no real difference in the flow of the film, either in a positive or negative way.
It's really hard to identify with her because she really doesn't do anything at all. The movie, as a whole, is half dialogue and then half killing. The acting is my biggest gripe. Hopkins' Lector is wooden and uninspired through much of the picture. Occasionally, he does manage to channel the character of Hannibal but not very often.