The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

 

Though no stranger to hyperbole, I don't often call a film an absolute masterpiece, let alone one that is perfect. This one, however, is one of the few I dare make an exception for. There are few projects that feel as flawless as this one. And even after so many years and so many viewings, it stays excellent and on occasion, I even discover stuff I hadn't noticed before.

So well done, Jonathan Demme. I applaud you.

There is a serial killer on the loose who targets young women and in an act of desperation, the FBI decides to send a young trainee into the lion's den in order to interrogate notorious psychopath Hannibal Lecter. 

Why?

Because Lecter is a genius and they hope that he can help them catch this new killer. But Lecter is notoriously difficult and the idea is that a fresh face might persuade him to be more cooperative. So this task falls to Clarice Starling. You can tell she's chosen because she looks nice and people just assume a pretty face will do a lot, but Clarice is quite a bit more resourceful and sharper than many people realise. Lecter takes a liking to her because she is candid with him and through mindgames he drops hints and clues left and right in order to catch Buffalo Bill (the nickname the new guy on the block got). 

Lecter eventually escapes, but not before setting Clarice on the path to finding Bill. But will she be in time to save the latest victim? 

The beauty of this film lies in the dialogue and portrayals. There are some serious heavy hitters here, even if they weren't necessarily superstars yet. In fact, the hunt for Buffalo Bill is almost secondary to everything else. This is about Clarice first and foremost and how she is looked upon by nearly everyone. There are two scenes that very simply express the rampant sexism. It starts when she enters a lift in a grey sweatshirt surrounded by big guys all wearing red, as to hammer home her isolation in this world. The second time is when they go and have a look at a corpse, where she is left alone amidst county police that all stare at her wondering what a 'little girl' is doing there. Heck, it is even in a lot of the dialogue that her boss and especially dr Chilton have with her. 

By the way: Chilton is a prick you're going to love to hate. 

But let's not beat around the bush: this is all about Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Their conversations are the real meat-and-bones of this film and they are shot so expertly and played to perfection, it's incredibly hard not to love every second of it. Foster is a very natural actress and she does a great job finding that balance between insecurity and determination. She sometimes gets overlooked, but that's because the standout performance is of course that of Hopkins as Lecter. His cold, calculating, eerily creepy yet fascinating take and immortal lines are so, well, so unique and awesome, you can instantly tell why his version became so iconic. 

It's not the first time someone played Hannibal Lecter. Brian Cox did it in 'Manhunter' several years prior, but Hopkins not just hits it out of the park, he hits it out of the stratosphere. 

And yes, most people memorized the fava beans-line, but there is so much more. Heck, I always get the chills from "I'm ready for you now, officer Pembry."

Even if you know this film by heart, it still manages to sucker you in and have you waiting in suspense for the climax. Every time again. If that isn't the hallmark of a superior film, I don't know what is. And honestly? If you have never seen this one, you are missing out on one of the best films ever made.