Thursday, October 6, 2011

Night of Terror #6: 'The Silence of the Lambs'

Don't really know what to say about this one, but it's the only scary movie I got to watch today so I guess we're all stuck with it (I'm sick and have been working a lot, both of which cut into my movie-watching time, unfortunately).

The reason I don't know what to say about it is it's one of those movies that's just been there for so long that it's difficult to even look at it with fresh eyes. This isn't a problem I encounter that often: There's a long list of "established classics" that I consider my own - The Godfather, Chinatown, Double Indemnity, Blade Runner, the list goes on. But for whatever reason, The Silence of the Lambs has always been one of those respected/liked rather than loved movies for me.

Just to be clear, I do like this movie a lot. It has that electrifying quality that a well-produced Hollywood thriller has where you feel the movie isn't pulling its punches, and that almost anything can happen. There's a thematic depth, too, in everything from Buffalo Bill's modus operandi to Clarice Starling's plight as one of the only females in her line of work. And that "doorbell" misdirect towards the end, where the audience is led to believe the FBI is about to come crashing through the serial killer's door only to find poor little Jodie Foster behind the door when he opens it, is one of my favorite sequences in any movie. But it's still somehow at arm's length for me, in a way that I completely and totally acknowledge is my fault.

I haven't said anything about Anthony Hopkins yet. He's very good as Hannibal. I haven't seen any of the sequels yet but I'm going to try to get to Hannibal before the month ends. Don't know if I'll write about it or not, but it should be interesting to see the differences in the character when he becomes the star of the show.

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