23. Silence of the Lambs

If you want to have a number of sleepless nights, this is the film for you! I had to plan to write this review in the middle of the day, so I do not revive the disturbed sleep I had after watching this film. In the Silence of the Lambs (1991), a Cadet in the FBI enlists the help of an imprisoned killer who eats his victims to hunt down a different serial killer who is in the habit of skinning his victims.

This disturbing film made me wonder whether I should continue to commit to watch every single film on the list no matter how scary, but alas the journey continues in spite of the struggle as I have still been able to appreciate the art of storytelling in the Silence of the Lambs because the way the film has been made to seem realistic is how the fear is transferred to the audience.

This thriller was based on the 1981 novel by Thomas Harris of the same name and was directed by Jonathan Demme. We see an excellent performance from Jodie Foster as the female lead Clarice Stirling and a brilliant performance from Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecture who enhanced the fear I experienced with his convincing act.

I scored this film 81 for the film making me accept that even though it was scary, it was a decent story that has made an impression on me. If you are a fan of crime films and drama that will stay with you then I highly recommend the Silence of the Lambs – but beware, it is not for the faint hearted!

Judging Criteria

SCRIPTURAL INTEGRATION - 20 points: 17

STORY/SCREENPLAY - 10 points: 10

DIRECTOR - 10 points:7

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 10 points:7.5

EDITOR - 10 points:7.5

PRODUCTION DESIGN - 10 points:8

ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE or SCORE EFFECTIVENESS (if not original) - 10 points: 8

SOUND DESIGN - 10 points:7

ACTING - 10 points: 9

TOTAL SCORE 100 POINTS. : 81