Silence of the Lambs [Criterion Collection]

At the beginning of The Silence of the Lambs, an FBI trainee named Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to prepare a psychological profile of serial killer Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), in the hopes that he can help solve the mystery of another mass murderer, Buffalo Bill. Notorious for eating his victims, the coolly intelligent Lector gives Starling information on a quid-pro-quo basis--if she reveals details of her troubled childhood, he will give her information to help catch Buffalo Bill. Based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name, The Silence of the Lambs is cleverly balanced between the psychological drama between Lector and Starling, and a graphic examination of the FBI's attempts to track down a serial killer before he murders again. Driven by Jonathan Demme's taut direction and expertly nuanced performances by Foster and Hopkins, the movie may be too violent and disturbing for some tastes, yet there is no denying that it is one of the most powerful thrillers of its era. The Silence of the Lambs won all five major Academy Awards--Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay. The character of Hannibal Lector was previously seen in Michael Mann's 1986 film Manhunter, which was based on Thomas Harris' novel, Red Dragon.