the silence of the lambs
Believing it’ll be beneficial to the investigation, the F.B.I. sends trainee, Clarice Starling, to interview a demented prisoner who may provide psychological insight and clues to the killer's next move. The prisoner is famed psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, murderous cannibal. His help does not come easy though, she must let him in on her personal thoughts and perspectives, while also picking his brain in order to gain the clues and thoughts of someone so similar to their current killer. Coined by the media as "Buffalo Bill", who has so far killed five victims, all located in the eastern U.S., all young women, who are slightly overweight, especially around the hips.They were all drowned in natural bodies of water and were found with large pieces of skin removed. She also figures that Crawford chose her, as a woman, to be able to trigger some emotional response from Lecter. After speaking to Lecter for the first time, she learns about the psychological games he plays and the strange words he speaks, with her often having to comprehend the very ambiguous lines he provides. She has to decide how much she is willing to play along and let him into her head, as his request in return for talking to him is to expose herself emotionally to him. The case takes a more dire turn when a sixth victim is discovered, this one from who they are able to retrieve a key piece of evidence if Lecter is being honest about its potential meaning. Meanwhile, a potential seventh victim is taken, but she is the high profile Catherine Martin, the daughter of Senator Ruth Martin. It becomes a race against the clock to discover Buffalo Bill and hopefully find Catherine alive.
For me, the acting was something that really stood out to me. The portrayal of Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill was really compelling and kept me engaged throughout the whole movie. Jodie Foster also did a really good job at helping to fuel the strange tendencies of the deranged "villains" in the movie, but she also brought the contrast of somebody who is stable minded. I find stories similar to this to be really fascinating, so it kept my interest the whole time. The storyline was very strong and provided enough detail without making it too long and boring, but not making the ending seem predictable and ‘too easy’ so to speak. I also really liked the role that Hannibal Lecter had, as someone whom we know is a heinous criminal, but throughout the movie, the viewer develops a relationship with him through his part in the investigation. I personally grew to like him, which is a strange contrast to the part he is supposed to be playing.
I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone who can handle uncomfortable and somewhat gory scenes. By today’s standards, it might not be the scariest movie, but it provides a level of horror, as well as a very strong detective and mystery themes.
