THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

PLOT SUMMARY

The notorious Dr. Hannibal Lecter has been in jail for eight years. He was a skilled psychiatrist. He's notorious for his penchant for killing and eating his patients; hence he's known as "Hannibal the Cannibal."

Now another serial killer is on the loose. Jack Crawford, the FBI's behavioral analyst ("profiler") suspects that Lecter knows something about the case, but has been unable to coerce or wheedle it out of him. FBI trainee Clarice Starling is headed for his department, and he assigns her to interview Lecter in his maximum-security cell, hoping she will have better luck. And she does make some progress — but not enough.

Lecter in fact is playing with her, because that's what he does with people. His remarkable intellect and superbly sharp senses allow him to be very good at the game. Also, he has no inhibitions whatsoever about inflicting violence; the harsh conditions in which he is held, and the strict rules about interacting with him, are well-justified.

When the daughter of U.S. Senator Ruth Martin is kidnapped by the new killer, known as Buffalo Bill, Crawford concocts a false offer from the Senator. He has Clarice promise Lecter that in exchange for the identity of Buffalo Bill he will be transferred to a new island prison where he can see the outdoors and will even be allowed outdoors once a week to swim. Lecter sees through this, but plays along. The Senator, when she learns of the promise made in her name, is furious. However, desperate to recover her daughter, she makes her own offer to Lecter. They confront each other as he's being transferred; Lecter does his usual trick of messing with her mind. But he also offers up a name for Buffalo Bill.

That name leads Crawford to the Chicago area. Meanwhile, Clarice and an FBI friend, going over the pattern of Buffalo Bill's five previous killings and the hints that Lecter gave Clarice, deduce that his first victim was local — that she lived in his home town in Kentucky. Clarice goes to that town to search for clues. Eventually she discovers the house where he's holding the Senator's daughter. That's when things get interesting.

Oh, did I mention that Lecter escapes from his new prison? Yup, he does.

Capsule review: The Silence of the Lambs is taut and suspenseful, with a very intelligent script which makes it appealing to those who relish mental gymnastics. It also has enough gore to satisfy any fan of "mad slasher" films. But the crux of its attraction is the performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.