Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

10/10

Starring
Jodie Foster
Anthony Hopkins
Scott Glenn
Ted Levine


Directed by Jonathan Demme

With a screen time of not more than 17 minutes, Anthony Hopkins pulled off a memorable performance that earned him an Academy Award. I don’t think any actor has won an Oscar for such a short screen time. His performance was so great that, even in this brief time, he instills the fear of his cannibalism in you. He also earned the title of the #1 villain of all time in the AFI (American Film Institute) 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains for his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in this movie.

There is just so much about this movie that makes you love it: the high intellect displayed by Lecter, the way he masterfully manipulates people into bending to his will without them realizing it, and how he can draw you in for just a bite of your nose. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Silence of the Lambs is one of three movies to win all five major Oscar awards. Those awards are: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The other two films to achieve this are It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975).

The movie plot follows a young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), who seeks the advice of imprisoned Dr. Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to apprehend another serial killer, known only as "Buffalo Bill."

Clarice was sent to Hannibal Lecter with the hope of gaining a better insight into the mind of the serial killer Buffalo Bill by talking to another psychopath (Lecter). Dr. Lecter used to be a psychiatrist until he turned psycho. He has a powerful mind and is an excellent manipulator.

This 1991 classic is based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, his second to feature Hannibal Lecter. His first book, Red Dragon (1981), is where Lecter was first introduced as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer.

Red Dragon was the first film adapted from the Harris novels. It was done in 1986 and named Manhunter, starring Brian Cox as Lecter, spelled "Lecktor."

A remake of Red Dragon was done in 2002, starring Hopkins as Lecter. The movie was adapted from the same novel as Manhunter and was released to generally positive reviews. Red Dragon was a critical and box office success, making over $200 million on a $78 million budget.

This movie (Silence of the Lambs) was a box office success, and it’s one you’ll want to watch. But be warned: it deals with cannibalism and is graphic in some ways.