I finally got around to watching The Silence of the Lambs sometime last winter as I finished up my quest to see all Oscar Best Picture Winners. On the whole, I found it a rather dumb movie. To be sure, Hopkins is fantastic and Lector is the star of the show. You want to see more of him although his scenes with Foster are greater than his scenes alone or with others I feel. However, the rest of the movie is lacking. Someone once told me they thought the movie was really scary because instead of ghosts or vampires, this was about real twisted killers. While Hopkins does make Lector seem possible in real-life, the Buffalo Bill character is cartoonishly outrageous.
He starts off ok with a realistic kidnapping of a woman. But then we end up with a subterranean lair where his plan is to make a woman body suit out of the skin of other women (like that would last and never get dry) and he also puts a killer moth larvae in the victims throats as a calling card or something. The bug thing is what gets me. It's like the filmmakers felt that would make it even more creepy but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was more creepy with its use of bugs than this movie.
While Clarice is technically the star or hero, when I think of her, I think of someone always trying to prove themselves or play catch-up. I don't think she comes across as strong-willed or tough as the filmmakers or writers thought. While it was interesting to learn what the title of the film means and how it relates to her, in reflecting about it, something about the story feels fairy-tale like.
The worst thing and most galling thing that got to me was her decision at the end when she realizes that she has found Buffalo Bill, instead of getting back-up or alerting anyone where she is and that she has located him, she chases after him alone into his basement subterrannean lair. It just seemed so stupid especially for someone we are supposed to believe is a smart agent. Not surprisingly, going into this unknown territory leads to Buffalo Bill gaining the upper hand when he cuts the lights and is wearing night google visions. Now Clarice is at his mercy and what does he do? He plays around with her by showing how close he can stand around her without her being able to tell. Finally, she kills him. The end. It was just such a dumb-cliched ending I couldn't believe that it won Best Picture. At least, Hannibal didn't show up to save her which I was half-expecting at that point. Hannibal was just looking out for himself and furthering his own agenda and I think that's what saves the picture or at least makes it end on a slightly more intriguing note.
The 4 other Best Picture nominess that year were Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, and The Prince of Tides. I haven't seen Beauty in the Beast since it was orginally released in theaters back in 1991 although I did see a costume performance of it at Disneyland and a few years later an On-Ice production of it. While I do still recall certain things about the movie, I'd probably have to watch it again now to give it a fair assessment. I haven't seen The Prince of Tides or Bugsy although I've really become interested in tracking down and watching Bugsy. If I were to make a short list of movies I really want to see, it would be on it. I don't know why but it just seems like it would be up my alley. Regardless, as far as I'm concerned, JFK would be my choice for Best Picture and I don't think those 3 other films would challenge that notion. JFK was a riviting, gripping experience when I watched it earlier this year. While I don't post in this thread as much as I could, after watching JFK I did come and write a review on it to get the word out on it. I was telling everyone I knew to check it out because it was just so compelling and after seeing it, I am so surprised it lost to The Silence of the Lambs.
However, that is a sidepoint and winning or losing an Oscar isn't the deciding factor of what makes a film good or bad. I just found it surprising that it swept the major awards when there was, to me, a much more superior movie in competition at the same time. Thus, I may give it a harder critique because of it yet, even before seeing JFK, my opinion of it was luke-warm.
As for the other Hannibal movies, I've had no interest in them or the T.V. show. There's an interesting review of Hannibal that you may want to read
at The Dissolve by clicking here. That review is all I really need to know about the sequel.
Topic: Rate the last movie you've seen (Read 1552256 times)
