Silence of the Lambs(1991)

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Warning this movie contains nudity, sexual harassment, graphic content, manipulation and murder.

Our protagonist is Clarice Starling a young woman fresh from the academy (so fresh she hasn't graduated). This movie starts off with her training in a heavily foggy wooded area. I should note the soundtrack is stunning during this moment enhancing what could be just a normal training session. Starling's training is interrupted as she is called for by Jack Crawford, Chief of the Behavioral Science Unit. Who is interested in her skills and grades within the academy. He called her to interview an infamous serial killer Hannibal Lector, a crafty and "pure psychopath," at the Maryland Mental Asylum. They need his help with another serial killer named Buffalo Bill.

At the Asylum Clarice is briefed on extensive safety protocols due to Dr. Lector's tricks, one of which led to a nurse's disfigurement. As she walks to Dr. Lector's cell she is harassed by the other inmates. When she arrives, he asks her to show her credentials, he instantly notices she is still a student. However, he seems to be "charmed," by her way she carries herself. He is aware of Buffalo Bill and her goal interviewing him but after she hands him a file, he begins to berate and pick her apart. When she retorts back, Hannibal the Cannibal in a way to scare her, describes how he ate someone who offended him. As she was shooed away by Dr. Lector, Miggs, an inmate in the next cell throws his semen at her. This unleashed chaos, inmates in adjoining cells began to yell and scream, and Dr. Lector called Clarice back. He didn't approve of such an indecent act and wanted to make it someone but giving her an in or chance to move up.

We then get a short montage of her training. As she is researching Dr. Lector, she is informed by Crawford that Miggs is dead, Dr. Lector had manipulated him to kill himself. She then tells Crawford of the Clue she had found, a storage facility. There she finds the severed head of Benjamin Raspail. We are then brought to the Asylum where Dr. Lector, who gave Clarice a towel for her wet hair, links Benjamin's death to Buffalo Bill. But before he can reveal anymore, he proposes a deal so he can be moved to a new facility. The next scene we are introduced to a young woman, just getting home when she sees a person struggling with a chair. Tricked into the back she is then knocked unconscious and then her skin is examined by the attacker, who we can assume is Buffalo Bill. He then ties her up and drive off. Clarice with Crawford is brought to West Virgina where a victim of Buffalo Bill was found.

In West Virgina, at the morgue/funeral parlor, there is tension between Clarice and the local police force due to Crawford taking the sheriff to another room. She ends up shooing them from the room. When she sees the victim's body she instantly says "Bill," and then begins listing her observations. In her mouth Clarice notices something in her throat. A bug cocoons. When flipped over we see that the victims back had also been carved in a diamond shape.

When viewed by experts, they find out that the cocoon is an exotic moth, a Death's head Hawkmoth that had to have been cared for extensively to be able to have been in their location. We also learn that the young woman who was kidnapped earlier is the daughter of the Senator of the United States, Catherine Martin. Due to this circumstance, Clarice goes to Dr. Lector for terms for his transfer if he helps from the Senator. Dr. Lector discusses Quid pro Quo, info for info. While trying to dig into Clarice's past, he reveals that Buffalo Bill is a pseudo Transexual, he hates himself and would try to be anything but himself. Which could lead to another clue as he could have been rejected for sexual reassignment from three different hospitals.

Catherine is shown to be in a well, pleading for Bill to release her, as he commands her to put lotion on. As he uses a basket to get the lotion back, bloody scratches are shown on the well's walls, causing Catherine to scream and Bill to begin mocking her. Back with Dr. Lector, Dr. Chilton tells him that Clarice tricked him and there was no deal until Chilton made one, leaving a pen as he gloats. Clarice and Crawford's fake deal move ended with the case being taken over by another office and Dr Lector brought to Memphis to meet with the Senator. He reveals what he knows about Buffalo Bill, as he was a lover of one of his patients, and due to unsavory comments, the senator threatens to send him back. Before she could he describes Bills Build and looks, giving him a second chance.

Clarice, who has arrived in Baltimore has managed to get into Dr. Lector's new and more "free," cell, with his drawings as a gift. Which Leads to a Classic Kubrick Stare, a stare in almost all on Stanley Kubrick's movies. He compliments her on her trickery, as she tries to get back his trust so she can get more information from him. As they bounce the conversation back and forth Dr. Lector asks why Clarice ran away from her family's ranch after her father's death. She reveals she heard screaming, which turned out to be the screams of lambs that were being slaughtered. She tried to save them but only could grab one, but it was futile as she couldn't get far, and it was still killed. Dr. Lector thanks her as Dr. Chilton discovers her and escorts her out with guards. As she's leaving Dr. Lector gives her back her case file, caressing her finger with a goodbye as he does.

Dr. Lector with is brought a second meal, as he is sitting on a toilet, he pulls a piece of the pen Dr. Chilton left out of his mouth. He uses this to pick the lock of his handcuffs as the officers put his meal in his cell. As they are clearing his drawings, one of which has a striking resemblance to Clarice, he pounces. Handcuffing Lt. Boyle to a lower bar and then he latches onto Sgt. Pembry's Face with his teeth. Dr. Lector begins to brutely assault the officers with their own weapons. This ends with a chilling overhead shot of him enjoying music as Lt. Boyle lay motionless on the ground behind him. He then walks of screen to Sgt. Pembry.

The officers on the Lobby floor as begin to scramble as the elevator begins moving up to the fifth floor despite no one going up. They are further alarm when a set of gunshots go off and the elevator begins to descend, stopping on the third floor. Brandishing weapons and vests they survey the third floor. When they find nothing, they move to Dr. Lectors cell. Which has a lot more than nothing, the mutilated body of Lt. Boyle is hanging from the ceiling. Displayed in a way that he looks like he has wings, like a messed-up angel. The bed and curtains are stripped, and the lead believes Dr. Lector is Making a ladder. As they clear the room the Sgt. Pembry, who is face is covered in blood and wounds, is discovered to still be alive and breathing! The swat backup and ambulance arrive, and Sgt. Pembry is rushed to it as his body begins to seize, Officer Murray and Tate trailing after him. While in the elevator blood begins to drip from the Elevator on to Pembry. Guns up they let SWAT know Dr. Lector is on the roof of the elevator. Opening the elevator shaft door from an upper floor, they discover Dr. Lector unmoving in the dark elevator shaft. After a warning they shoot his leg which has no reaction, so they open the hatch from the inside. We are then brought to "Pembry,", who turns out to be Dr. Lector wearing the cut off face of the Real Sgt. Pembry who was actually in the elevator.

Clarice learns of his escape but believes he won't come after her as he would consider it rude. As she struggles over the clues Dr. Lector left for her, we see a shirt snippet of Bill sewing a flesh like material. She and Adelia begin to look through the case file and clues, they come to the conclusion that Buffalo Bill knew the first victim, Fredrica Bimmel, as she was the odd one out. So, Clarice heads to Belvidere, Ohio, to find more about who would have known her. Inside her room, Clarice discovers polaroid photos in a false top of a jewelry box. The photos are of Fredrica posing in revealing clothes, as Clarice is going through the photos, she gets distracted by the cat. This led he into a sewing room were a familiar pattern on an unfinished dress, made her realize exactly what buffalo bill was doing with the skin. She calls Crawford frantically and as she tells him that Buffalo Bill is making woman suits from his victims, he interrupts her to let her know that the found him. But a photo Jack hold show that it is the wrong guys unbeknownst to them, and Clarice is forced to stay behind and finish up in Ohio.

We are then brought back to Catherine, who is tying a rope around a bucket and bone as Buffalo Bill plays loud music and begins putting on makeup. She throws the bucket to the top and begins to call for Precious, his dog. As she desperately calls so Precious, Bill is beginning to talk himself up. Catherine misses the first attempt, and Bill films himself tucking to appear female. 

Clarice meanwhile is talking to an old friend of Fredrica's. She finds out that they use to do sewing jobs for and elderly woman Mrs. Lippman, for whom she got her address. Buffalo Bill is observing his moths when Precious cries out (during this scene of "James Gumb's" sting is being cut in), Catherine was able to get Precious into the well. Using the dog as her hostage she demands he give her a phone and that she hurt herself on the way down.

When a Frantic Buffalo Bill grabs a gun, an alarm for the front door goes off, Clarice is at the door. Clarice and "Jack Gordon," talk, on Crawfords side the house they are in proves to be empty. Clarice begins to connect the dots, from the sewing equipment to the literal Death's head Hawkmoth that lands on some thread. Uneasy she unbuckles her gun, a shot revealing "Jacks," gun on a stove near him. She pulls out her gun as he runs. This leads them to the basement; the door Clarice slams open first reveals the unfinished skin suits Bill was making. Uneasily she follows the sound of Catherines pleas. Clarice clears the room, shaking she leaves the room and is startled by a noisy fridge. Bursting into another room she finds the decomposing body of Mrs. Lippman in a tub. Then boom the lights go out. We are now seeing form Buffalo Bills Point of view as he is using night vision goggles. Clarice who cannot see a thing is stumbling around unaware she is being watched closely.

As she's reaching out into the darkness, Bill aims at her head. In a slow motion like shot she whips around from the sound of him cocking his gun and shoots him several times taking out a window and lighting up the basement.

    We move to outside the house, Crawford has arrived with emergency services, and Catherine with Precious is no longer in the well as Jack checks on Clarice. Then there is a time skip and Clarice is Graduating into a full-time FBI agent, during the party she gets a phone call. It Dr. Lector he had called to congratulate her and let her know he wouldn't "call," for her so long as she extended him the same curtesy. He says goodbye as he sees the "old friend we will be having for dinner," Dr Chilton, as Clarice repeats his name. The movie ends with Dr. Hannibal Lector following Dr. Chilton and his Bodyguard.

 

Such a great movie! While one of the longer ones it definitely had a great amount of story and special effect to keep it interesting. Anthony Hopkins did an amazing job at making a chilling character come to life. So far one of my top movie to see so far!

THE END