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The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

DVD Cover (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
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Overall Rating 85%
Overall Rating
Ranked #31
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Connections: Manhunter

FBI trainee, Clarice Starling ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer. But her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape, and now two deranged killers are on the loose. --TMDb
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Review by ThunderStruck5a
Added: August 31, 2007
Since 1986 one name in thriller cinema has grown into a household legend. Kids know his name before they ever see him and just know he's a bad, bad man. Through five (increasingly southbound) films this character has graced the screens giving many people the heebie jeebies with just his wit and a smile. His name of course is Dr. Hannibal Lector.

Forget Manhunter for a minute and flash forward to 1991; the year Silence of the Lambs hit theatres. Based on the novel written by Thomas Harris this film centers around young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), who has been hand selected by her boss to obtain information on 'Buffalo Bill' (Ted Levine), a local serial killer known for skinning his victims. Unfortunately for her (but fortunately for us) she has to get this information from none other than Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) an extremely manipulative serial killer, currently behind bars in a maximum security prison.

The mind tricks begin almost immediately between these two (along with a growing admiration for each other) as Clarice gets closer to figuring out exactly who Buffalo Bill is.

Anthony Hopkins is the only man who could have done as good a job as he did with Dr. Lector. He turned a simple greeting ("Hello, Clarice") into THE creepiest thing you could say to someone named Clarice. Just looking into his eyes would do you harm and a simple conversation with him could give your every thought a complete 180. But this wasn't just a one man show. As annoying as her accent was it still sounded legit and with that Jodie Foster was able to give us a great portrayal of a southern cadet hard-pressed for answers and time. Ted Levine was also great, especially in the disturbingly delightful “Goodbye Horses” scene, showing us his “walk on the wild side”.

Not only was the acting great (on everyones part) in this film but the script was solid too. Through the constantly flowing storyline and the building suspense during their race against time we were treated to tight dialogue, a few twists, and a platter of classy wit and plenty of memorable lines, later spoofed in such great comedies as Dumb and Dumber and Clerks 2.

10/10. Definitely.
Ginose #1: Ginose - added September 1, 2007 at 3:50am
Greatest thriller ever made?
Greatest based on a book, for certain.
9.7/10
ThunderStruck5a #2: ThunderStruck5a - added September 2, 2007 at 9:00pm
i dont remember saying greatest thriller ever made (and im too lazy to reread it right now and find out if i actually did) but if i did thats a mistake because they call sin city a thriller and that would trump silence of the lambs any day.
Ginose #3: Ginose - added September 2, 2007 at 10:15pm
I was actually questioning the people who read the comments, though I suppose I see you're confussion....

"SotL" kicked "Sin City"'s ass...
ThunderStruck5a #4: ThunderStruck5a - added September 2, 2007 at 11:04pm
not even close. i loved SotL but there is no way it beats sin city; not in any department. sin city was also based on a book in very good fashion. i think we've got a legitament poll on our hands.
Ginose #5: Ginose - added September 3, 2007 at 4:38am
"Sin City" is based on a graphic novel...

But I agree aobut the poll... willing to put all of my honor on "SotL" though... far more popular... and timeless...
bluemeanie #6: bluemeanie - added September 3, 2007 at 5:31pm
"The Silence of the Lambs" crushes "Sin City" to a staggering degree, and I loved "Sin City". In 50 years, "The Silence of the Lambs" will be still be considered a classic, but "Sin City" will just be "Sin City". It also gave us one of the greatest screen villains of all-time. It re-defined the thriller. It invented it, to some extent, for a new generation of film goers. This film is universally groundbreaking. 10/10.
Tristan #7: Tristan - added September 5, 2007 at 12:47pm
Why are Sin City and Silence of the Lambs even being compared? They're very different movies, and Sin City is trash compared to SotL. I loved Sin City, don't get me wrong, but seriously, the two are on different playing fields. "Are you about a size 14?" I'm so glad I picked this movie up today. Tad pricey, but it's the 2-Disc special edition. 10/10
bluemeanie #8: bluemeanie - added September 5, 2007 at 1:48pm
They're being compared because they were speaking of the Greatest Thriller of All-Time. I think it's ludicrous to even think "Sin City" a better film than "The Silence of the Lambs", much less a better thriller. "The Silence of the Lambs" pretty much defines that genre.
ThunderStruck5a #9: ThunderStruck5a - added September 5, 2007 at 3:26pm
they are on two different fields which is why i didnt even think about it at first, but technically they're both thrillers. and as entertaining as SotL was (which it was) i will always be more entertained by sin city. in 50 years sin city will still be remembered as a film filled with great strides in cinematic technology and what not. im sure its sequels wont though (if they ever come out). ill agree that the two are incomparable and leave it at that.
Tristan #10: Tristan - added September 15, 2007 at 1:42pm
Sin City isn't much of a thriller. It is technically, but i didn't see it as that.
bluemeanie #11: bluemeanie - added September 25, 2007 at 5:15pm
I don't know about 'great strides in cinematic technology'. Robert Rodriguez was really just modernizing a technology that Richard Linklater helped pioneer a lot earlier.
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