The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glenn

Fresh out of training at the FBI Academy, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is charged with interviewing Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a cannibalistic murderer who is incarcerated at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.  Starling must leverage Lecter’s knowledge to help catch a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) who has a nasty habit of skinning the women he kills.  While Starling’s initial attempts to understand Lecter fail miserably, a distasteful act by one of the prisoners against the young FBI agent convinces the mad psychiatrist to help her profile Buffalo Bill.  Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs is a thriller that really lets the killer shine.  Anthony Hopkins gives a mesmerizing performance as the evil Hannibal Lecter.  The intensity and horror Hopkins brings to the role as the chilling doctor is unrivaled.  The Silence of the Lambs is one of the smartest thrillers to ever grace the big screen.  It would be a smart decision to put this on your bucket list.