The character Clarice Starling from the film The Silence of the Lambs was ranked by The American Film Institute among the ten greatest film heroines and Hannibal Lecter was ranked as the greatest villain .
The American Film Institute , ranked it as the 5th greatest and most influential thriller film of all time while the characters Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter were ranked among the ten greatest film heroines and villains , respectively , with Lecter ranked as # 1 .
The Silence of the Lambs -LRB-film-RRB-