"Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer. - Clarice Starling, FBI. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Alone. She must trust him to stop the killer."
A very descriptive tagline for a movie that almost everyone watched back in 1991. What's funny is that many casual movie fans consider this role as the defining moment in the career of Anthony Hopkins, however, leading up to this ground-breaking film, Hopkins had a wonderful resume of great film and television achievements across the pond in the United Kingdom along with a number of North American film roles that achieved critical acclaim.
Most notably, Hopkins was part of the ensemble cast for the war epic, A Bridge Too Far (1977), along with the creepy horror film Magic (1978), and the stark drama The Elephant Man (1980). It actually took Hopkins quite some time to cross into mainstream recognition, but he accomplished that with his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Based on the Thomas Harris novels, the Lecter character is viewed as both an antagonist and protagonist in many of the films that were produced for this franchise.
If you watch Hannibal, the storyline follows more of a romantic infatuation between Lecter and FBI Agent Clarice Starling, mixed in with the suspense and violence associated with his character. If you watch Hannibal Rising, we are shown the younger version of Lecter and why his life is what it becomes.
Outside of this original film, however, I enjoy the prequel of Red Dragon as much as Silence of the Lambs - it goes slightly before the timeline of Lecter and Starling and adds in a wonderful ensemble cast of Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman - however, nothing beats the original.
At the time of production, Foster was in her prime coming off her Academy Award performance in The Accused (1988) and her character portrayal of Clarice Starling has had loose ties to the development of the Dana Scully character from the X-Files. Outside of the poor attempt at a southern accent, which I believe is the only drawback for this film, The Silence of the Lambs is a suspenseful, intense, and psychotic thriller - with great scenes to enjoy due to wonderful scene development and exceptional acting.
Well deserved Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor, and Best Actress, and Best Writing - this movie shows that you don't necessarily need to spend a ton of $ on a movie budget - a good script, great actors, and a creative director will result in a tremendous movie... one that is highly recommended.
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