When the FBI fails to develop any leads as to the identity of a brutal serial killer operating in the mid-west, chief Jack Crawford (Glen) assigns trainee agent Clarice Starling (Foster) to interview convicted psychopath, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins). Crawford hopes to wrong-foot the dangerous cannibal by sending an unworthy trainee and Starling must attempt to gain profiling information from Lecter without revealing too much of herself.

When it became only the third film to sweep the five most coveted Academy Awards (picture, director, actor, actress, adapted screenplay) at the 1992 Oscar ceremony, few people can have realized how different the film could have been. Originally to be directed by Gene Hackman, numerous people were above Anthony Hopkins, the film's trump card, on the list of potential Lecters that Hackman wanted. Brian Cox (Lecktor in Manhunter), Jeremy Irons, Robert Duvall and (inevitably) Robert De Niro are all said to have turned down the role before Hopkins, thankfully, accepted. He is the first reason to see the film, totally convincing in a role that makes the skin crawl, particularly the early prison scenes between him and Starling when the tension gets so extreme as to become stifling. The second reason is the huge achievement of disguising such a violent and upsetting horror as a thriller, and smuggling it into the theatres before anyone noticed, and all without having to compromise a single, brutal frame - and it is brutal. Buffalo Bill's (Levine) basement prison is the stuff of nightmares, and Lecter's eventual escape features some horrendous bloodletting and violence.

Slick, intelligent, stunningly photographed and suspenseful to the end, this is a horror film that earned its huge success, and mainstream audience.

I've seen way too many thrillers. You name it: "Identity", "Seven", "The Usual Suspects", etc., etc., etc. I remember my friend being so obsessed with "Silence of the Lambs", that it drove me crazy. And I hated the movie naturally and refused to see it. But everyone told me that I have to see this, so I let my guard down. And had an open mind, and I'm glad I did. My friend was right, this is a great movie. It is so well acted, I couldn't even describe. I loved "Silence of the Lambs" and would recommend it to anyone. It's creepy and exciting. Trust me, you'll love it.

10/10

Although The Silence of the Lambs is brilliantly constructed and powerfully acted, and became one of the most recognizable thrillers of the '90s, it was neither the best movie of the year (a citation I would award to Beauty and the Beast) nor even the best thriller (overall, Dead Again impressed me more). The Silence of the Lambs contains a number of inarguably great scenes, but the screenplay, adapted from Thomas Harris' novel, suffers from a split personality. The scenes featuring Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) are the stuff of legends. However, the rest of the movie, which concentrates on the pursuit of serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), has a familiar, derivative feel. In truth, the climax couldn't be more mundane.

The Silence of the Lambs opens by introducing us to FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a brilliant student who has been selected by Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, to help in the pursuit of a serial killer called Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims after murdering them. Crawford wants Clarice to approach the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter, or "Hannibal the Cannibal" as he has become known, and encourage Lecter to provide a profile of Buffalo Bill. Crawford claims that Lecter might be willing to open up to a woman - and he's right. The good doctor offers Clarice a quid pro quo deal. For every piece of information he shares about Buffalo Bill, Clarice must reveal one detail about her past. So, while Lecter is helping Clarice get closer to Buffalo Bill, he is also worming his way into her psyche. Perhaps surprisingly, however, she is doing the same to him.

There is little doubt that the most memorable aspect of The Silence of the Lambs is Anthony Hopkins' incomparable performance as Lecter. Taking over for Brian Cox, who was effective, but not especially memorable, as the good doctor in 1986's Manhunter, Hopkins instantly makes the role his own, capturing and conveying the charismatic essence of pure evil. To his dying day, no matter how many roles he plays in the interim, Hopkins will forever be known for this part. (It is a credit to Hopkins' ability as an actor that this part did not result in stereotyping. His post-Silence career has been greatly varied, with roles as widely diverse as a stodgy butler in Merchant-Ivory's The Remains of the Day and an action hero in The Edge.) I can throw out any number of superlatives, but none of them do justice to this chilling performance, which I labeled as the best acting work of the '90s. Want to feel the icy fingers of terror stroke your heart? Watch this mixture of brilliant eloquence and inhuman cruelty. As portrayed by Hopkins, Hannibal is both a suave, cultured gentleman and an unspeakable fiend. He is gracious and monstrous at the same time. (Hopkins also provided one of the most quotable lines in recent film history with "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti", which was followed by an inimitable slithering slurp.)

Jodie Foster's interpretation of Clarice Starling is not as high-profile as Hopkins' work, but the film wouldn't have been the same without her. In a quiet, non-flashy manner, Foster takes ownership of Clarice, transforming her into the movie's human anchor; she is our point-of-entry into the contorted, grotesque world of murder, insanity, and decadence. Clarice is developed into a multidimensional human being who is driven to succeed in a man's world, haunted by memories of the loving father she lost at an early age, and fascinated by the twisted brilliance of Lecter. There isn't a false note in the performance. Foster's best scenes are the ones in which she is paired with Hopkins, such as the instance in which Clarice's facial expression crumbles almost imperceptibly while Lecter coldly and cruelly dissects her life. It's arguable whether Foster deserved a Best Actress Oscar for her work in The Silence of the Lambs, but there's no doubt that she is owed more recognition for the film's success than she often receives. its one of the greatest films..

Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator have the answers to their questions to help locate the killer. Clarice must first try and gain Lecter's confidence before he is to give away any information. Clarice Starling, a young intelligent FBI trainee, has been sent to the Batlimore state hospital for the Criminally insane to interview an inmate Dr. Hannibal-the cannibal- Lecter. A Brilliant renowned psychiatrist turned infamous Psychopathic Serial killer. She must match wits with Lecter -who has the darkest of all minds- and trust him to give her clues in the search for "Buffalo Bill". a nick name for a loose,unknown, unstoppable Pyschopathic Serial killer... A psychopath known as Buffalo Bill is kidnapping and murdering young women across the Midwest. Believing it takes one to know one, the F.B.I. sends Agent Clarice Starling to interview a demented prisoner who may provide psychological insight and clues to the killer's actions. The prisoner is psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lector, a brilliant, murderous cannibal who will only help Starling if she feeds his morbid curiosity with details about her own complicated life. This twisted relationship forces Starling not only to confront her psychological demons, but leads her to face with a demented, heinous killer, an incarceration of evil so powerful, that she may not have the courage -- or strength -- to stop him!

The first movie of the trilogy, The Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece starred by Anthony Hopkins. His character is evil and sensitive at the same time. It's fantastic to see how a movie this long can make us be thrilled and excited about the story every minute.