The Silence of the Lambs

Dir: Jonathan Demme, 1991 (9.8*)

Best Picture (AA)

AFI Top 100

One of the great all-time crime films, truly horrific stuff, from the Thomas Harris novel. Jody Foster is a fledgeling FBI agent under the tutelage of veteran Scott Glenn, investigating a series of murders of women whose skin is partially cut away. They seek the help of mass murderer (now in a prison asylum) Hannibal the Cannibal, brilliantly and deviously portrayed by Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins, in his best, most ravenous part. All these characters click together, as does Ted Levine covorting by himself as the killer, in a chillingly psychotic portrayal. Terrific pacing, editing, tightly crafted; unforgettable stuff, not for the squeamish. Unfortunately, the sequels, Red Dragon and Hannibal, never captured the mood or the feel of the original. It won the big five Oscars: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay. 5 Oscars