CrimeDramaThriller

The Silence of the Lambs

- To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman.

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

Release Date : 1991-02-14

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Orion PicturesStrong Heart

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Clarice Starling

Original Name : Jodie Foster

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Original Name : Anthony Hopkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jack Crawford

Original Name : Scott Glenn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jame Gumb

Original Name : Ted Levine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Frederick Chilton

Original Name : Anthony Heald

Gender : Male

Character Name : Catherine Martin

Original Name : Brooke Smith

Gender : Female

Character Name : Senator Ruth Martin

Original Name : Diane Baker

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ardelia Mapp

Original Name : Kasi Lemmons

Gender : Female

Character Name : Barney

Original Name : Frankie Faison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lamar

Original Name : Tracey Walter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lt. Boyle

Original Name : Charles Napier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sgt. Tate

Original Name : Danny Darst

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sgt. Pembry

Original Name : Alex Coleman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Roden

Original Name : Dan Butler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pilcher

Original Name : Paul Lazar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul Krendler

Original Name : Ron Vawter

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Director Hayden Burke

Original Name : Roger Corman

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Instructor

Original Name : Lawrence A. Bonney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Agent Burroughs

Original Name : Lawrence T. Wrentz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Friendly Psychopath

Original Name : Don Brockett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brooding Psychopath

Original Name : Frank Seals Jr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miggs

Original Name : Stuart Rudin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Clarice

Original Name : Maria Skorobogatov

Gender : Female

Character Name : Clarice's Father

Original Name : Jeffrie Lane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Lang

Original Name : Leib Lensky

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Lang's Driver

Original Name : George 'Red' Schwartz

Gender : Male

Character Name : TV Evangelist

Original Name : Jim Roche

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boxing Instructor

Original Name : James B. Howard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Brigham

Original Name : Bill Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Agent Terry

Original Name : Chuck Aber

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oscar

Original Name : Gene Borkan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheriff Perkins

Original Name : Pat McNamara

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Akin

Original Name : Kenneth Utt

Gender : Male

Character Name : TV Anchor Woman

Original Name : Adelle Lutz

Gender : Female

Character Name : TV Anchor Man

Original Name : Obba Babatundé

Gender : Male

Character Name : TV Sportscaster

Original Name : George Michael

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sen. Martin's Aide

Original Name : Jim Dratfield

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Reporter

Original Name : D. Stanton Miranda

Gender : Female

Character Name : 2nd Reporter

Original Name : Rebecca Saxon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Jacobs

Original Name : Cynthia Ettinger

Gender : Female

Character Name : Officer Murray

Original Name : Brent Hinkley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Airport Flirt

Original Name : Steve Wyatt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Spooked Memphis Cop

Original Name : David Early

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tall Memphis Cop

Original Name : Andre B. Blake

Gender : Male

Character Name : Distraught Memphis Cop

Original Name : Bill Dalzell

Gender : Male

Character Name : SWAT Commander

Original Name : Chris Isaak

Gender : Male

Character Name : SWAT Communicator

Original Name : Daniel von Bargen

Gender : Male

Character Name : SWAT Shooter

Original Name : Tommy Lafitte

Gender : Male

Character Name : EMS Attendant

Original Name : Josh Broder

Gender : Male

Character Name : EMS Driver

Original Name : Buzz Kilman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Bimmel

Original Name : Harry Northup

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stacy Hubka

Original Name : Lauren Roselli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flower Delivery Man

Original Name : Lamont Arnold

Gender : Male

Character Name : State Trooper (uncredited)

Original Name : John Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent (uncredited)

Original Name : Ted Monte

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent in Memphis (uncredited)

Original Name : George A. Romero

Gender : Male

Character Name : Orderly (uncredited)

Original Name : John W. Iwanonkiw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Priest on Chilton's Plane (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert W. Castle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Autopsy Victim (uncredited)

Original Name : Chris McGinn

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guido Paonessa (uncredited)

Original Name : Gary Goetzman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Precious

Original Name : Darla

Gender : Male

Reviews

Ted Fraraccio

@Steve Freeling

2021-06-23

Unlike a lot of viewers, I first saw _The Silence of the Lambs_ at five years old. So, for me, _The Silence of the Lambs_ is a childhood favorite. Some would say I had an unusual childhood, in this age where some people actually **avoid** R-rated movies like the plague. The fact that I saw _Something Wild_, which Jonathan Demme directed five years before _The Silence of the Lambs_, as well as the original _Alien_ (alone at that), at the same age probably indicates that they were okay with me watching pretty much anything that wasn't rated X, though, honestly, I've **never** had any interest in that stuff. It was probably due to the fact that, like the movie's protagonist, I don't "spook easily," and many so-called "scary" movies, including this one, never scared me, but (many of them) definitely thrilled me. Granted, I'd seen _Saving Private Ryan_ a few months before, which probably gave me a strong stomach. Well, enough about my wild, albeit fun, childhood. How does _The Silence of the Lambs_ hold up all these years later? For me personally, _The Silence of the Lambs_ is every bit as good as it was the first time I saw it at five years old. On the off chance you don't already know the plot by now, Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a rookie FBI agent with a degree in psychology who is called from training by her boss Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) in the middle of a string of murders by a man nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine) who skins his victims, all of whom happen to be women. Crawford tells her to interview the psychotic Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in prison, hoping he might have an answer of some kind. Lecter brushes her off. After Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith), the daughter of a senator is kidnapped, Lecter agrees to give Starling information about Buffalo Bill on the condition that she tell him personal information about herself. If I had to pick the greatest Best Picture Oscar winner ever, it would most likely be _The Silence of the Lambs_. Well-acted, well-written, and well-directed, it's definitely my favorite. Let's look at the acting to start. Jodie Foster, unsurprisingly, won a well-deserved Oscar for her performance as Starling. Foster plays Starling as a little scared yet strong at the same time, definitely not a coward as Julianne Moore later played the character in the movie _Hannibal_, and definitely not someone who would turn cannibal as Thomas Harris wrote the character as doing in the novel Hannibal. Movie or novel, in my honest opinion, the Clarice Starling depicted in _Hannibal_ is an insult to what this Clarice Starling stands for. As we find out about what's been nagging Starling since childhood, Foster plays it especially well where another actress may have overdone it. Anthony Hopkins, like Foster, won an Oscar for his performance as Lecter, and I speak for a lot of people, if not everybody, when I say it was also well-deserved. Hopkins plays Lecter as brilliant yet insane, making him one of the more interesting villains in movie history. Scott Glenn plays Crawford very well for the time he's onscreen. Ted Levine plays "Buffalo Bill" as straight up crazy, and does a very good job of making us hate him. Brooke Smith is only supposed to play Catherine Martin as scared and she does - with dead-on accuracy. Ted Tally won a well-deserved Oscar for his screenplay, adapted from Thomas Harris' novel of the same name. Tally doesn't feel the need to focus on violence and gore, which is one of the movie's strengths. Instead he focuses on the characters, and I'd be lying if I said he didn't flesh them out very, very, very, well. Jonathan Demme also won an Oscar for his directing and he does a very good job of it. _The Silence of the Lambs_ is relentlessly thrilling and it holds me to my seat until the last frame every time I see it, all without relying on excessive gore. I've already mentioned that _The Silence of the Lambs_ doesn't scare me, so it may - or may not - scare you, depending on what you're afraid of. Admittedly, there are a few creepy things displayed onscreen so I can see why it would scare some viewers. Either way, I can't recommend _The Silence of the Lambs_ enough, and everybody should see it at least once. _The Silence of the Lambs_ is a childhood favorite of mine, and it holds up very, very well almost 25 years after its release. It's relentlessly thrilling, flawlessly acted, flawlessly written, flawlessly directed, and one of the few movies that actually deserved all the Oscars it won.

Gimly

@Ruuz

2021-06-23

This is one of a few movies I put off reviewing for years, because I honestly don't know what to say about a film this classic. So I'll be brief in my actual review, knowing that it comes from a place where I honestly believe that this is a movie that deserves its praise: Even if the A-plot of the story wasn't one of the best crime thrillers put to screen, the Hannibal Lector moments alone would be enough to make _Silence of the Lambs_ a great movie, most especially his run in Memphis. _Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._

Melissa Goldfine

@Broadwaygirl918

2021-06-23

It kind of reminds me of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, because Frank and Jame are drag queens who kill.

Repo Jack

@repojack

2021-06-23

As a genre fan, there's a certain amount of satisfaction when a film is recognized by mainstream audiences. That's what it was like for me in 1992 when Silence of the Lambs swept the Oscar's (Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress). And boy did the movie deserve it. Jonathan Demme's fantastic retelling of the classic book by Thomas Harris. Anthony Hopkins' scene-chewing Hannibal Lecter turned him into a pop culture icon (and unfortunately a slew of middling sequels). And Jodie Foster's grim and naive portrayal of Clarice. The final touch is that haunting score. Some of the best movies out there are elevated by a musical score that puts it another league. A phenomenal classic.

Joseph Strickland

@JosephStrickland

2022-08-15

**Absolute Classic Film! I read the book before watching this thriller/horror classic film by Jonathan Demme. The film works on so many levels and at times feels very realistic in how it portraits law enforcers and the perverse criminals they pursue. Outstanding performances by Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glen, Ted Levine, etc.. I feel the director was influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho classic horror film by way of how grounded this film shows the deadly cat and mouse game and the overall arch of themes throughout. Fear and desire for sex, loathing of the human body, suppression of emotions, hatred for banality and towards women, etc. In this day of cartoon Marvel movies which have little or no connections to human experiences or reality, this classic film will stand the test of time because of how all of the creative artists involve respected the work. This one's on my all time top favorite list of must see films.

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-08-26

This is a brilliant screen adaptation of the Thomas Harris book with a cast impossible to improve upon. Anthony Hopkins plays "Hannibal Lecter", a murderous sophisticate with a penchant for eating the evidence and Jodie Foster as the novice FBI agent sent to try and elicit his help in tracking down a killer with a similar modus operandi to our now incarcerated "Lecter". The menace with which Hopkins portrays the role is spine-chilling. Foster conveys the transformation from scared young agent to hard-nosed detective with convincing aplomb and this really does make for a belter of a thriller. A clean sweep of 5 Oscars and the top 2 acting BAFTA awards can't be wrong!