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Few murderers impress me. Fictional murderers tend to impress me even less.
I blame that on Driller Killer, which I rented on VHS one night a couple of years ago. The next time I was in the store, I decided to do everyone a favour and move the box to the ‘Comedy’ section.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins), on the other hand, is a work of genius. His ways are brutal — there is no denying that — but he’s graceful, elegant and polite. It’s this bizarre juxtaposition that makes The Silence of the Lambs so brilliant and so unique. This is not your average horror movie.
The viewer sees the world through the eyes of FBI recruit Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a powerful woman who is still brought to her knees by the painful memories of her childhood. Starling is sent to interview ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ (so called because of his nasty habit of eating people’s faces off) to try and acquire information on Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who has been murdering the locals and taking their skin.
The continuing theme of the film is Starling’s struggle with Lecter’s psychological warfare. Lecter, a highly respected psychiatrist (before he started eating people’s faces) reveals insights into Buffalo Bill’s psychological profile in exchange for details of Starling’s past.
These ‘Quid Pro Quo’ battle scenes create enthralling viewing and replace the traditional horror film’s need to show people losing various body parts. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster pull off their greatest performances yet, and were each awarded a well-deserved Oscar for their efforts.
Hats off to Jonathan Demme for a wonderful visual translation of Thomas Harris’ classic novel.
Ed. Note: Check out Kristin’s review of the sequel, Hannibal.
