Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Silence of the Lambs (1991)


SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
DIRECTED BY: JONATHAN DEMME
WRITTEN BY: TED TALLY
OVERALL SCORE: 10/10
TOP 100 FILMS: #86


FBI cadet, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), must team up with cannibalistic genius Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in order to catch a crazed serial killer, "Buffalo Bill," who is fascinated with Dr. Lecter.

Defining top to bottom excellence, Silence of the Lambs is about as well executed of a film as you'll ever see. Supported by an amazing marketing department, Silence of the Lambs attracted audiences by the millions, and set the tone for 90s films. With amazing casting, dark and witty characters, backed by morally sound tough ones, Silence of the Lambs brings as much to the table as any thriller in film history.

Hopkins is pure brilliance in his career defining performance, shocking considering the little screen time he actually got (only 24 minutes). Foster's Starling is the perfect opposition to Lecter, bringing about the very essence of the classic case of opposing characters forced to work together. The dark issues, the harsh look at really sick criminals of society, forces these characters into our minds, burns them in our memories, as we feel their anxiety, their dark attributes, we're overcome by how powerfully memorable each character is.

Demme's knack behind the camera, creates an amazing sense of tension and edginess, while Tally wonderfully adapts the novel by Harris, taking all best elements of the book, and making them match perfectly into what would become the new age hollywood conventions. Easily one of the top films of the 90s, Silence of the Lambs was a no-brainer in my top 100 films, though I do sometimes wonder if I shouldn't move it up much higher on the list :).

1 better thoughts:

Paolo said...

Great review. I absolutely love this movie!

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