Review of The Silence of the Lambs (1991) by Eddygregs — 19 Apr 2015
In her attempts to find a missing girl, a young FBI agent enlists the help of another psychopath. To gain his help she has to win his trust and gives him an insight into her own personal fears and issues.
Along with Se7en this is one of the most thrilling and darkest thrillers in film history.
It is testament to Jonathan Demme's superb adaptation of Thomas Harris' cult 80s novel that these two images of Lecter never lose their grip from the quite brilliant opening visiting sequence, the one reaffirming the other, combining to create the most memorable basketcase in the movies since Norman Bates first opened for business. This is a man who sketches and listens to Mozart while planning to literally eat off a policeman's face, a creature sensitive to Starling's tale of childhood torment yet cruelly reticent in supplying clues that might lead to the capture of the serial killer closest to his natural heir.
Ultimately, though, Demme's breakthrough film is a triumph by virtue of its narrative strength, its sheer confidence in tackling Harris complex characterisation head-on, and its ability to scare the **** out of its audience without ever once resorting to amateur hour frightwigs and hands-over-the-eyes. Fingerlickin' good.
A first unmissable, then enduring, but always unmissable classic.
This review of The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was written by Eddygregs on 19 Apr 2015.
The Silence of the Lambs has generally received very positive reviews.
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