Film Review: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Oscar Winner Delivers Thrills, Chills And Exceptional Performances
Feb 16, 2009
Horror has many faces. Things that go bump in the night, zombies, aliens, ghosts, the supernatural and the terrifying horror of what one human can do to another, just to name a few. It is this dark corner of the soul’s capacity to abandon its own humanity and perform unimaginable acts that the comfortably places this film among the top scariest movies of all time.
Silence of the Lambs - Thrilling Plot
The Silence of the Lambs, based on Thomas Harris' novel, demonstrates a superb skill in terrifying audiences within the frame of a dramatic and thrilling plot. It tells the simple story of a hunt to catch a vicious serial killer and of the young FBI agent who must consult a hideous prisoner, "Hannibal the Cannibal," in order to gain some insight into the man being hunted. Giving the film an additional sense of urgency and a brisk pace is the race to save a young woman who is captive, but likely still alive – for now.
The world seen in The Silence of the Lambs is a drab, gritty place where the muted colors of life permeate everything and the somberness of investigative procedure is mirrored in every dank location, run-down house and landscape worn out by winter. Anthony Hopkins provides an immensely taut and outstanding performance as the cannibalistic killer, Hannibal, whom the young FBI agent, Starling, must consult. His interactions with the novice, played by Jodie Foster, as she tries to learn critical details about the killer, Buffalo Bill, are legendary. Hopkins' performance is quite magnificent and one that unexpectedly endears us to him; makes him oddly likeability despite the ferocity of his actions. Jodie Foster as Starling excels in her role as she portrays her character with timidity but with a semblance of burgeoning confidence. Her wariness becomes a striking source of courage as she enters the male dominated field of law enforcement, and allows her to more than hold her own with her keen intelligence and a fervent fortitude.
The Horror in This Tale Comes from More Than Just Bloody Images
The horror in The Silence of the Lambs comes most notably from the brutal and heinous mutilations of victims and from the associated bloody and disturbing images. But the true horror in this modern classic is found in the grotesqueries of distinct possibility. There is no apparition, no undead or implausible killer on the loose and no supernatural or unnatural realm being tapped here, just the darkest dominion of what humanity can do. This really is one of the very best horror films ever made for that reason. It generates a sense of fear, placing the audience in a terrifying voyeuristic state watching characters in states of vulnerability where you engage in nail biting and burying faces in pillows is when the tension rises.
The film is a triumph, not only for the quality of its production and story, but also for its ability to breach the mainstream consciousness and achieve a commercial and critical success nearly unheard of for a film like this. It thrust into the popular culture scene the iconic Hannibal Lector character, doing so in part by transcending genres to become a top class thriller and an unsettling chiller. It has settings and sounds that are the territory of horror – brick dungeons with haunting echoes, ruthless and bloody killings and a killer with shocking motives that have earned this film a rightful place as one of the scariest films.
It is a classic and worthy of every one of its Academy Award nominations and wins. It is as chilling today as it was when it was released nearly twenty years ago.
