The third film in my Halloween series is arguably the most acclaimed. It went down as history as the first horror type film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, the third film to sweep the big five categories: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Writing, and it is submitted in the U.S. Library of Congress for being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." I am speaking of course of The Silence of the Lambs.
The Silence of the Lambs is about young FBI trainee Clarice Starling who is helping to track down wanted killer "Buffalo Bill" known for skinning his victims. To achieve this, she travels to Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, in hopes of enlisting the aid of convicted cannibal killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
If you start watching this film with the preconceived notion that it is a straight out horror movie, you will be pleasantly taken aside by the fact that is rather a well blended mix of crime and horror. It is shocking at places with some disturbing images, but those never feel inorganic. It is a masterful combination of two genres that don't completely mix on paper. However, the story flows through, and the action paints itself across the canvas with both of those brushes. There is resolution, emotion, and above all, realism. It doesn't ask you to suspend your disbelief, and in doing so, it creates images that can exist in our world, which make the film all that more chilling.
Jodie Foster plays Agent Starling with a sense of inexperience and novice to the FBI world. However she also comes across as courageous when the situation calls for it. She could have easily been the damsel in distress, but she stands out as a symbol of female empowerment.
Make no mistake, this film belongs to Anthony Hopkins. Considering that he is in the movie for less than 17 minutes, that says a lot. He plays Dr Hannibal Lecter with his calm, chilling, and charming demeanor. It is stated that he is able to control his heart rate, and given what we see from this sociopathic genius, its not too difficult to believe. Given the nature of his character, and how we perceive people like him in real life, in theory we should hate him. Yet Hopkins brings an eerie, inexplicable sense of likability. We find ourselves wanting to see more of him, and we look forward to when he re-appears.
See this movie. Then see it again. Not only is it a terrific mix of crime and horror, it is possibly the highest quality thriller film ever made.
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