This movie has the rare distinction of winning the big 5 awards at the oscars..
1.Best Film
2.Best Director:Jonathan Demme
3.Best Actor:Anthony Hopkins
4.Best Actress:Jodie Foster
5.Best (adapted) Screenplay:Ted Tally
Only two other movies had this amazing streak on the awards night before this psychological thriller in 1992 and those were
1.It Happened One Night(1934) and
2.One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest(1975).
I wouldnt Recommend this movie to people with a weak heart as some of the situations in this movie are pretty gruesome and are really offensive to the mind.If you can open up your mind a little bit this is a definite watch.
The movie is about a total Psychopath who titled ’’Buffalo Bill’’ by the press who goes around kidnapping and murdering young women.
What really amazes the FBI is that the murderer never leaves a trail and picks the girls at random in way such that the girls are always of different shapes and sizes.
(If this worries you just leave this page..if you want to know what forms the rest of the plot, continue reading)
To understand the mind and thoughts of the killer the FBI turns to the one of the greatest evil minds Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) whom they have at a detention center, hoping that the ’’good doctor’’ would be able give them a few pointers about the killer.
Unfortunately Lecter makes a mockery of every psychologist the FBI sends to ’’read his mind’’ and such is his genius that the FBI has to take a radically new approach to interview and understand him.
This radical approach involves sending of a young rookie in the form of Clarice Starling(Jodie Foster) and this throws the doctor offguard and he takes a liking to her.
What follows next is probably the best part of the movie with great exchanges between Hopkins and Foster, the acting of these two people is just mind-blowing...Hopkins with his ruthless attitude all the time studying and watching Foster and Foster on the other hand trying her level best to not get intimidated by the Genius in front of her.
I shall stop revealing anymore of the plot as of this moment as I believe I would rob the movie of its charm.
Jodie Foster’s acting is brilliant.The climax is fantastic and this beautiful actress fully deserved the academy award for her performance.
I should recommend that all those people who want to watch the movie should consider the novel first (of the same name) by Thomas Harris.
This has to be one of those rare movies where the movie is as good as the book, with the author no doubt feeling justice had been done to his book.
A definite watch.
To those who want to read the book first and then watch the movie I suggest you take some time and read the books in this order...
1.Red Dragon:Which introduces the character of Hannibal Lecter and was made into a movie recently(no starling though)
2.Silence of the Lambs
3.Hannibal:which deals with Hannibal throughout and has Starling playing a stellar role as well. ( Jodie Foster refused to do the role in the movie and it went to Julianne Moore)