"I'm Having An Old Friend For Dinner."

The Silence Of the Lambs is the most recent film to win Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay at the Academy Award ceremony. When you watch the film, it's easy to see why. This psychological thriller is based on a novel by Thomas Harris, and is the second time we see Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter (after 1986's Manhunter and preceding 1999's Hannibal and 2002's Red Dragon).

The Silence Of the Lambs is the story of the search for a serial killer, nicknamed "Buffalo Bill," who enjoys skinning his victims. Scott Glenn plays Jack Crawford, an FBI agent in charge of the case. After getting no results from numerous agents he's sent to interview Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), another serial killer who may be able to help catch Bill, Crawford gives young trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) the job.

Lecter is both a psychiatrist and a serial killer himself, who eats his victims and is thus known as "Hannibal the Cannibal." Clarice goes to see Lecter in jail, and the scenes with Hopkins and Foster are what really make the film.

Foster is superb in this film, and she deserved her Best Actress Oscar. She brilliantly portrays Clarice as a woman who has had to work very hard to get as far as she's come, and she makes Clarice not just an orphan trying to disguise her accent, but a very capable and brave FBI agent. The scene near the end of the film in the basement is one of the scariest I've ever seen, and much of that is because of Foster's amazing performance.

Hopkins does not have as much screen time as Foster, but he makes quite an impression and creates a character who is one of cinema's most unforgettable villains. The first time the viewer sees him is chilling. He is poised like a machine, standing completely still, arms at his side, but he's relaxed, not nervous. In fact, Hopkins has said that his performance was inspired by a machine: HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, who is brilliant but has no emotions. Hopkins makes Lecter a gentleman who just happens to be a serial-killing cannibal. Hopkins also won an Oscar for this film, and he manages to actually top Foster's impressive performance.

This statement may sound strange to those who have never seen The Silence Of the Lambs, but audiences actually like Lecter. We can tell that he likes Clarice, and he wouldn't hurt her. He's also helping to catch a killer and save a woman. But it's mostly because Hopkins makes Lecter witty and amusing. He's not boring, and he's a somewhat sympathetic character.

Lecter and Clarice are actually rather similar. Both are outsiders: Lecter because he is a serial killer, and Clarice because she is a woman FBI trainee. Both feel powerless: Lecter is locked in a prison with no way out, and Clarice is surrounded by men who don't take her seriously and think of her as a sex object. And they both had unhappy childhoods. Clarice was orphaned and sent to live with relatives; Lecter was abused as a child.

There are some scenes in this film that stand out. First, when we are introduced to Hannibal Lecter. Second, when a group of cops are waiting for an elevator (watch the film to see what I mean). Third, a scene inside an ambulance. Fourth, a scene near the end where the film cuts between two houses. And the scene inside one of the houses is genuinely frightening, especially when you're seeing it for the first time. Jonathan Demme did a fantastic job directing, and he picked up a Best Director Oscar for this film. Ted Tally's screenplay, which was adapted from Thomas Harris' novel, is excellent, and the film contains a perfect last line, which is one of the best in film history.

I know there is an out-of-print and thus hard to find "Criterion" edition of this DVD, but I just have the regular version. I have no complaints about it, though. The picture and sound are both clear, so you can see and hear every frightening thing that is happening onscreen. The extra features include deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, outtakes, and a photo gallery. There is also a documentary with interviews with Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, along with a making-of featurette. These are some cool features, but I would buy this DVD even if it just had the movie with no features because the film is just that good. The Silence Of the Lambs is a very frightening, disturbing, well-made film, and it is not one to be missed.

Rated R for violence, profanity, and some nudity.

Academy Award Winner:

Best Picture
Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins)
Best Actress (Jodie Foster)
Best Director (Jonathan Demme)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally)

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Sound (Tom Fleischman and Christopher Newman)
Best Film Editing (Craig McKay)