0
0
Rating: 5 out of 5
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
There are some movies that are good, and then there are some that will creep you the f**k out. I recently decided to watch The Silence of the Lambs after a few years. The reason I stopped on it to watch it because it was different from the usual movies along with it being a while since I’ve seen it. What I should’ve done was scroll right past this movie because I completely forgot how creepy it was. Actually, the film was terrific, but Hopkins honestly scared me. Just thinking about it sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t think I’m going to sleep good tonight. Damn you, Anthony Hopkins.
The Silence of the Lambs revolves around Young F.B.I. Trainee Clarice Starling (Foster). Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer (Levine) who skins his victims named Buffalo Bill. To gain better insight into the mind of the killer, Starling is tasked with talking to another serial killer and psychopath: Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter (Hopkins). Dr. Lecter was once a respected psychiatrist who ate several of his victims. Special Agent Jack Crawford (Glenn) believes that Lecter is the key to capturing Buffalo Bill. Clarice’s first major hurdle is to gain the trust of the infamous serial killer. One who is an expert manipulator and has the mind of a genius.
It has been a long time since I have been creeped out by a film and character. Well, Silence of the Lambs, you once again have creeped me out, and I’m not happy about it. If you recently been watching the Netflix show called Mind Hunter and you enjoy it, meet its source. Everything about that show can be thanked to this movie. The whole tracking of a criminal but also speaking to a criminal about the inner workings of a killer’s mind is terrifying. That is what this movie does to you. It terrifies you because you come face to face with a killer. Someone who seems to have no remorse for what they did and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Director Jonathan Demme does an outstanding job with keeping the pace and feel of unwantedness high. The first meeting with Dr. Lecter sets the whole tone of the movie, and Demme wants you to know that you are in his world. He puts the camera right on him, and you can’t take your eyes off him. With Clarice, she always looks at you through the camera but sometimes to the side for an added effect. Now the scene that was truly masterful was the final scene and the whole night vision. Even looking through the killer’s eyes, you have a sense of not being in control. The sense of searching, but in the darkness, you are helpless and that one scene shows it entirely.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is an iconic villain. He is the serial killer that Clarice is sent to go speak to. You are thinking okay, prison, not too bad. Then you realize as she is walking down past the cells that his is the only one with a transparent wall between them. So, you know the dude is crazy. What gets me about the whole scene is the way Hopkins looks. He has that deranged, creepy smile on his face that he is waiting for her. Waiting for his next meal to be delivered. His intelligence is off the charts, and the way he speaks to people just makes you feel like you should cover-up. He smelled what Clarice was wearing the past two days. That is CREEPY! He seems to take joy in killing without really seeming to be afraid. Like it is another day in the world of Hannibal Lecter. AFI voted him the #1 villain. He deserves it because he is someone I never want to see.
Then the actual killer is out of this world. Buffalo Bill is an insane character. Not in the sense that he wants to be a transsexual. You do you, boo-boo! The fact that he takes his victim’s skin and starts making a woman suit is INSANE! Who thinks of these things? I was highly creeped out.
Now, this film is NOTHING without Anthony Hopkins and Jodi Foster. Actually, Anthony Hopkins was the one who stole the whole movie. I have never been so afraid of a person in my life. Hopkins mannerisms and how he spoke was truly iconic. He was only on another level. To only be on screen for a total of 15 minutes and have that type of impact is truly amazing. When he talks about eating the census taker and then does his teeth thing, I was terrified. Just the way he looked in his orange jumpsuit and mask, Hopkins exemplified terror and a deranged mind. You deserved your Oscar!
Jodi Foster holds her own and does a masterful job with her character. She does her best in finding the character, and Foster makes you want to root for her. She seems like the unlikely character against the mighty foes. Foster shows the innocence of the character but also that the character is willing to do her job at the highest standard.
The Silence of the Lambs is by far one of the creepiest films I have seen in a while. I see why I didn’t watch it that often. I must applaud Anthony Hopkins on doing a role that inspired Mind Hunter. I might have to think long and hard about seeing my therapist.
