The Silence of the Lambs - A Movie Review

Fear. Never back down from fear. You don’t want Hannibal Lecter inside your head.

Released to theaters in 1991 The Silence of the Lambs is about a young F.B.I cadet assigned to a disturbing task. A deranged man kidnapped a young woman, attempting to skin her alive. Cadet Clarice Starling has to go to the incarcerated Dr. Hannibal Lecter to seek help.

Before watching The Silence of the Lambs I was met with mixed feedback regarding the film’s disturbing content. Excited and nervous at the same time I sat down to watch The Silence of the Lambs which was recently uploaded to Netflix. Disturbing, eerie, and uncomfortable, The Silence of the Lambs is all about finding strength and courage.

Clarice Starling’s perseverance in a male-dominating atmosphere has become my new favorite performance of Jodie Foster. Foster was excellent. Her reactions, study of her character, and courage were put to a challenging test. Training in the police force, Clarice learns how to mask her emotions in order to focus on the case. Clarice’s journey reflects growth, courage, and for all women to keep fighting to stand out.

I did not take my eyes off the screen when Hannibal Lecter was staring me down with his menacing predatorial expression. Anthony Hopkins mastered the terrifying serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Hopkins improvised a famous line of dialogue that is so gut-wrenching it makes your stomach squirm.

The Silence of the Lambs has several noteworthy roles. Ted Levine’s performance is not talked about enough as the frightening ‘Buffalo Bill.’ I thought the film was all about Hannibal Lecter so I was not expecting his character. Boy, did he make sure that audiences would not connect to his character.

Other credits to include are Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, and Masha Skoroboatov. Credit also goes to the ensemble of police officers who had to film some nail-biting scenes. Everyone who worked on this film deserves a big shoutout for appearing in an unsettling film like this.

Jonathan Demme rightfully earned the award for Best Director. He carefully set up his direction to identify important camera angles that reflect subtle emotions and actions. His focus on the story, mastering subtly, and the disturbing atmosphere has had audiences talking for decades.

Demme did a superb job filming scenes with Starling and Lecter. The first visit to Lecter is a highlight. As unsettling as it is that scene was my favorite in the film. Even though he is behind a glass jail cell it feels like he’ll come through the screen. Lecter knows how to get inside your head, messing with your thoughts and making you feel uncomfortable.

Your dream job is not always a dream. As I mentioned, Clarisse is fighting to stand out in a male-dominating atmosphere. Not all the people who she works with take her seriously. Other male workers try to mess with her head. Just because you have reached your dream job, not every day is going to be the best. As Clarisse experiences, we’re going to get stuck with an assignment that we don’t want.

The climax of The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most nail-biting scenes in horror movie history. I was on the edge of my seat. Horror is all about the unknown. It’s also about bravery. Nobody ever knows how brave they are until faced with a difficult situation.

The Silence of the Lambs is a disturbing film. It’s not a film for all audiences. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. If are you are going to watch this film, take caution, and enjoy it.