Hannibal Lecter is, without a doubt, the scariest movie villain or psycho I have ever seen. This comes partly from the character itself, the incredibly measured and polite personality offsetting the insane amount of violence he is capable of, this come partly from the overall atmosphere and suspense of the movie, and this also comes from Anthony Hopkins’ incredible performance as Dr. Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter. Hopkins is only on screen for 16 of the film’s 118 minutes, but he leaves such a huge impression on the film and the viewer that this film is not only one of my favorites on the list, it’s also one of the films that stayed with me the longest.
Jodie Foster also puts in an incredible performance as FBI Agent-in-Training Clarice Starling, who becomes almost consumed with her need to capture the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. Starling and the government increasingly turns to Hannibal Lecter for assistance, which eventually leads to Lecter getting transferred to a minimum-security prison where he predictably escapes. Even after he is no longer available to help Starling, she is able to use the information he gave her to get inside Bill’s head, track him down, and rescue his latest victim – but at the cost of allowing Lecter inside her own head. The film ends somewhat ambiguously, with Lecter in a foreign country, stalking the people who have wronged him, and Starling an FBI agent, but one who will likely be tasked with tracking Lecter down.
I would like to pretend that the sequel to this movie does not exist, but this movie is a triumph of suspense. I highly recommend it, although it is not for the squeamish.
Score: 5/5 (A 5 is a movie I absolutely loved, would see again many times, and would recommend to absolutely everybody. I probably think it should be rated higher on the list than it currently is.)
