CREEPIEST MAN EVER | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Movie Group First Reaction!!
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
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0:00 Intro/Discussion
2:40 Episode Reaction
46:46 Outro/Discussion
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Do you like political movies? The title is "Inside Men" (2015) If you have time, please watch it.
I imagine it was correctly stated in the full reaction but Hannibal doesn’t grab a lighter. It is actually a pocket knife which he uses to cut Pembres face
The reason there suddenly was light after she shot Buffalo Bill is because one of her bullets shattered a window behind him. If you rewatch the scene, you’ll see it breaking for a brief second.
yep, guy on the left struggled through many things. Guy on the right is the strong one on this team.
@@zedwpd All 3 do seem a bit dim.
@@km666 Agreed......
There's literally a slomo shot dedicated to showing why. Let's leave fat Mac in the van for the next movie.
Yeah, Buffalo Bill painted his basement windows black, so nobody could look in. A lot of people miss that detail.
One of the things that makes Anthony Hopkins look so scary is that he rarely blinked. That gaze without blinking is terrifying.
It also has psychological standing. Psychopaths have a habit of staring hard at people without blinking for like 10-15 seconds solid. It's not only a way to size people up, but a way to intimidate.
He said he knew a madman back in his neighborhood in England and tried to talk to him one day. He said he noticed the guy NEVER. BLINKED. Hopkins said that it was so bizarre to talk to him because he basically talked like most people you'd meet, except for small details like not blinking, or continuing to throw question after question back at him about everything he said, like the guy was reading too much into every neutral comment. He also said that the best depiction of a mad person he'd ever seen from an actor was from Kathy Bates in Misery.
Not really.
Anthony Hopkins was phenomenal in this film! When Jodie Foster first filmed with Hopkin’s, it’s stated that she naturally became uneasy and never spoke to him when not filming.
And Hopkins admitted feeling the same way toward Foster! I think he said it on Graham Norton
Jodie Foster had just won an Oscar when they shot this, so yeah, Hopkins was intimidated by her as well.
Anthony Hopkins stayed in character on-set, even while not filming, in order to immerse himself in the character. It wasn't that he and Jodie F. disliked each other or didn't communicate; it was just that AH wanted to develop his character without much outside influence. This also did help with fostering (no pun intended) an authentic unease between the characters.
Brian Cox was much better Hannibal Lector. Hopkins is so over the top, especially in the other movies he becomes a parody of himself.
@claireice Hopkins was like a caricature or cartoon version of what Lector should've been. I can see why people like his portrayal but it was too much for me.
Only 3 films have ever won all of 'The Big 5' Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress and Best Screenplay. This was the third of those 3 films, and that was 30 years ago this year.
which are the other 2 films?
'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975) and 'It Happened One Night' (1934).
@@Curraghmore jaws should have won in1975.
@@Curraghmore One flew on the cuckoo's nest is phenomenal!
@@happyapple4269 Jaws is great film indeed, but doesn't have Leading Actress in fact
I don't think Bill missed his shot, I think he didn't even have time to take the shot because Clarice heard him turn off the safety and reacted to that sound, shooting him before he had the chance to shoot her. And he was taking his time as well, savoring the moment. Because he's a freak.
Pulled back the hammer rather than turned off the safety
Actually a lot of people missed the reason, I know I did the first time I watched it but the reason he was being creepy was he wanted Clarices scalp as he loved her hair, it's why he was touching it in the dark and maybe even the reason he let her into his house in the first place.
A woman's hair was the only thing missing from his woman suit when he does his goodbye horses dance.
I think he had second thoughts about shooting her in the head as to not ruin the scalp by accident and allowed himself to be so swayed by it he made the fatal mistake of being too close to her and cocking the gun
I think he did shoot once, but she turned and he wasn't expecting it, he shot over her shoulder and she was able to find the center mass from the gunshot.. i think
The book by Thomas Harris has him hesitating to shoot her because he is overwhelmed by her. He wants to be her. His last words are "how does it feel to be so beautiful".
@krisaaron8180 I've also heard that he really liked her hair and wanted it for his "woman suit." (so couldn't get it all bloody) Not sure if that's accurate tho.
The reason Jack Crawford sent Clarice instead of other agents is because he knew Hannibal would like her. He also knew that Hannibal would be insulted that Jack sent a trainee to him, Jack is a every bit as smart as Hannibal is.
In case nobody has said this (it wasn't in any comments I read), if I recall correctly another astonishing thing about Hopkins' performance in this film is that he had barely any screen time. I want to say he only appears in this film for around 16 minutes. But so much of what happens revolves around him & he has such an incredible presence that he's just FELT throughout the whole thing. Really incredible work
He didn't "whiff" a shot. She heard him cock the gun and turned and fired before he could get a shot off. The lights didn't come on; there was paper covering up a window and she shot through it (I have no idea why people in the comments think the window was boarded up--gunshots will not take out boards nailed to the wall). Barney was not on the plane at the end, that was just Chilton. Hannibal tracked where Chilton was fleeing to and followed him there. It was not the island from the fake offer--it looks like Jamaica or Haiti. The woman in the bathtub was Mrs. Lippman, the woman that Frederika Bimmel's friend Stacy said she and Frederika did sewing work for--that's why Clarice went to that house in the first place, to talk to Mrs. Lippman in order to learn more about how Frederika could be linked with Bill. Buffalo Bill had murdered Mrs. Lippman and taken over her house.
So basically what you're saying is that in order to destroy the ring of power, Dumbledore had to team up with Spock and Luke Skywalker, and reason the eagles couldn't fly into mount doom was because Bruce Willis was dead the whole time?
Not Jamaica or Haiti, it was the Bahamas.
@@generichuman_ ROTFL!! Such an underrated comment. 😂😂😂
Three guys watching a movie.. and they barely get " anything" right. I am glad you pointed all this out- as the 3 amigos are idiots ( and self-centered).
Incorrect. He missed his shot. She even mentions the powder burns from it. 🙄
The cinematography is so excellent in this film. They shoot from Clarice’s POV, so you get all these great closeups from below that really depict how women often feel in predominantly male spaces. The entire film feels like all the men are stalking her, her FBI advisor, the doctor, the other students, the cops… Lector was in many ways the least threat to her.
This movie taught me never to help anyone who is having trouble lifting an object in to a vehicle because you never know look at Ted Bundy
They should react to the movie Copycat with Holly Hunt and Sigourney Weaver at some point
@@irenemichelleanne that is also a great movie! I would also suggest Single White Female as a movie to react too
yea, a lot of these criminals who prey on women use the empatha trap like Ted Bundy. never falling for that shi
That part of this movie was based on Ted Bundy.
@@Deathbird_Mitch Definitely. Ted Bundy would hang out at beaches, and lure women to help him load things in his car, by wearing a fake cast or sling on his arm. The other two guys that inspired the Buffalo Bill character are "serial killers Ed Gein and Jerry Brudos. The former is notorious in pop culture for making skin suits out of his victims, while the latter is known for wearing the clothes of his female victims." from Screenrant
Clarice was trained to shoot under pressure, which they show in the beginning of the film. She then got her shot off first, and it's tough to shoot straight after being shot at close range like that.
and if you read the novel the movie is based on you`ll get to know that Clarice had the quickest reaction and could shoot ~70 bullets per minute. her coach even set her as an example for her fellow trainees.
Plus, she probably had a .38 revolver and was holding it in a stable, two handed position. Bill had a magnum and was holding it in one hand, so his shot almost certainly went wild with the recoil. He'd been using it to kill the girls, yes, but probably while they were in the well or after he had pulled them out and tied them up, so he wasn't used to a moving target like Starling.
(7:25) Listen to how Lechter says, "Look deep within yourself." He says it in a way that'll make her wonder what it means.
Funny thing: Saw this movie in the theater when it came out. At the end when we see Dr. Chilton running scared, the entire audience in the theater was cheering. It says something about a movie and an actor when the audience is cheering for a brutal serial killer to win.
This is such a amazing film and Anthony Hopkins and Jodie foster give standout performances both winning their respective best actor and best actress wins with Anthony Hopkins winning with the record for the shortest screen time win for best actor so happy you guys reacted to this please keep the Oscar bets picture options for Patreon polls would love to see your reactions to other best picture winners like moonlight and no country for old men
I think you missed where she shot out the boarded up windows in the basement, hence the lights “turning on” lol
@Zuff : if you like content about serial killers, there's a really good TV show called Hannibal (3 seasons, 2013- 2015) set before Hannibal is arrested, with Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal. Just in case you haven't seen it yet ;)
Mind hunter and first season of true detective
Once I saw Mads as Hannibal, I forever forgot Hopkins. That's how good Mads is in that show. And not to mention the amazing relationship Hannibal has with his own therapist (played by the always incredible Gillian Anderson)
@@1220joeyj I agree, Mads is forever my Hannibal now. I can't imagine him as anyone else
Manhunter is great also with Brian Cox
I’m not one to fall in love with serial killers, however I absolutely fell in love with Anthony Hopkins after this performance! I was fifteen years old when I saw this and I was a smitten kitten!! 😍 He has had my heart ever since! I have seen every movie he’s ever made and listened to every piece of music he’s written! He’s a true artist and I love his mind!
Silence of The Lambs! is one of the best horror/thriller movies out there. A good choice to kickstart Spooky Season
The story was inspired by the time that the FBI asked Ted Bundy to create a profile of the green River killer and when they finally arrested him they realized the Bundy's profile was pretty spot on. The scene were bill kidnaps Catherine is also inspired by Bundy because he would fake having a broken arm to get a woman to help him get something in his car and he would hit her over the head and push her in the car.
The character of Buffalo Bill was inspired by a few serial killers including Ed Gein who besides killing a few people he would steal recently buried bodies and make things from their body parts like a lampshade make from skin and a pair of gloves made from skin and furniture made from bones.
I recently saw that the actors who played Buffalo Bill and Catherine actually dated during the making of the movie. When Clarice started firing she shot out one of the basement windows that was painted black so that's why it wasn't dark anymore.
A lot of reports said Bundy gave useless info, that he was just trying to put off the death penalty. The little I heard of what he told the cops seemed pretty accurate.
great reaction!! and for your question 43:50 as Clarice shoots Bill in the direction of the sound, she also shoots a window that was previously boarded up. That was the light you saw. Pretty quick frame.thanks for watching this!! One of my favorite horror/thriller movies.
Also, Bill never got a shot off. He cocked the gun and she turned and shot him.
great reaction is a bit kind, I thought they missed a lot
I love this movie and I really enjoyed your reaction guys!
Oh, and the light wasn't magically turned on at the end, she actually shot out the window and the boards that were covering it...
I saw this in the theatre in my teens and I was like on the floor the whole time. Anthony scared the crap out of me, couldn’t see him in anything for a long time after 😅
Bryce you being SO surprised that Zuff was right in the beginning… LMAO 😂😂😂
Zuff is pretty much always right in everything he sees....he's great;)
Guys the lights didn’t turn on, she shot out a window, letting natural light illuminate the basement.
Follow up this film with Manhunter by Michael Mann. It’s also written by Thomas Harris and although it was released before Silence it’s actually the follow up of this storyline. Great time watching this review!
“How are the lights on now?” At 43:47 she shoots through the window too!
As suspenseful as this modern classic is, the book was even scarier. Great reaction to a fantastic film.
The book is like being Clarice going into Bills' basement;. In order to make it to the end you have to keep turning the page even if you scared to. So well written.
Anthony Hopkins has the record for shortest on screen time who won Best Actor!! Less than 20 mins!
What about Judi Dench?
@@roddo1955 She won best supporting actress. Different category but with minimal screen time as well.
Seeing Dr. Lecter for the first time -- in his cell, standing in anticipation to receive a guest -- sent chills right down my spine.
The first and only Horror Thriller film to win Best Picture!
It won 5 Oscars:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay.
The scene where Lecter attacks the guard by biting him the face and beats the other one with a night stick was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
Anthony Hopkins really is an AMAZING actor, even his father said he felt uneasy in the same room with him after this role. What's even creepier was the arrest of the real killer (Ed Gein) with his human body part furniture set.
This is in my opinion, one of the top three movies of ALL TIME. It won the big five at the oscars, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay. Phenomenal work of art with amazingly complex characters and Jodie's portrayal of Clarice is something we will never see again - Clarice Starling is a very complex and relatable character who isn't overpowered, impossibly strong for her size- but rather an intelligent individual who is relentlessly embracing her femininity. Through her pure intentions and authenticity, Jodie's character became a symbol of divine power motivated by pure desires to save weaker individuals in her world. Despite the fact she will never be as physically strong as the men who tower over her, she preservers because she sees saving other innocent lives as a parallel to saving the lambs. The whole point Jodie was trying to make was that in the past, since women didn't have the strength or "heroism" that could compare to men, Hollywood often resorts to crafting lazy, unrealistic female heroines (i.e marvel women) who possess unfathomable qualities and don't come across as relatable at all. Besides this, often the only redeeming quality of women's characters in film is their attractiveness, or their relevance is limited to being as the love intrest to their male costars. The Silence of the Lambs changed that when Clarice Starling appeared on screen. The producers took the time to flesh out Jodie's character, Clarice, thereby allowing this talented actress to portray an authentic female role who embodies the characteristics of someone motivated by a well-developed moral compass rather than such trivial, one-dimensional(a relief for audiences). She is then juxtaposed against her male colleagues, almost all of whom are motivated purely by advancement rather than the cause itself.
Rob's "what the fuck just happened" at 7:37 is me😂 this film is amazing and i love watching it around this time of year!
Zuff is MEEE being a true crime buffy, anything true crime come my wayyy lol.
Fun fact!: my dad is from Cal City and the neighborhood you said looks creepy is still what it looks like lol
The thing in the bathtub was Mrs. Littman.
Please tell me you'll watch the rest of the movies (R.I.P. Gaspard Uliel) now and the show!
Hannibal Lecter is my favorite horror character and he does not get enough love. He's scary, smart, AND sophisticated! What's better than that?!
Also, Monk was ruined for me once I rewatched this and realized Buffalo Bill is police Chief Stottlemeyer.
He's also in the remake of the Hill Have Eyes. He plays a retired Police officer Lol.
Wait that’s him?! How am I supposed to watch Monk the same now 🧍
Props for recognizing Quantico right away! Screenwriters will often use the shorthand Quantico for the FBI and Langley for the CIA. So you made some screenwriter out there happy.
I knew it from the X-Files, they always reference Quantico
Boyle's scream right before Hannibal hit him with the baton was horrifying and haunting.
Clicked on this one so fast! Can’t wait to see all of your reactions. Thanks for the great content.
Great movie choice! FYI There’s a recent interview between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins over zoom where they talk about making this movie
You guys totally missed out understanding the ending. Lecture respects clarice and would never hurt her. And yes Anthony won best actor for this movie and Jodie foster won best actress.
It won all 5 awards, Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Writing.
I agree with Bryce with the feeling that everyone in the 70’s and 80’s looked like serial killers 🤣🥴 I thought that I was the only one, but every time I see a picture or footage about that time my mind just thinks about them being either the psychopaths or the victims of their crimes (especially with photos of the yearbooks)
I don’t know about other girls but I definitely did not find Anthony more attractive after this 😂 I admired him more as an actor for sure, but he played his role so well that all I will ever see is Hannibal Lecter 😟
This movie gives me the creeps every time I watch it.
Fun fact: I took a tour of Quantico several years ago and they still have some set pieces from the movie as well as a wax statue of Hannibal Lecter.
Anthony Hopkins was only on the screen for 16 minutes but he commands this movie. He did win best supporting actor at the Oscars for this role. The end scene he was in a foreign country, probably a Caribbean island.
I saw this when it came out and it scared the hell out of me. I was completely freaked out for several days after.
Btw, the lights came on at the end because one of her bullets hit the painted over window letting in the sun.
Also, Anthony Hopkins has never had trouble getting women, but now I'm wondering if he gets a new subset of people attracted to him depending on the movie he's in. 🤔
Damn, I would love it so much if you guys watched the Hannibal TV show on the channel. A girl can dream...
BRYCE COWERING AT THE SUIT THINKING BILL WAS GONNA POP UP LMAOOO 😭 it’s a creepy film, I feel you bro
That scene always intrigued me. Where the doctor leaves his pen on the bed. And the way Hannibal just intently stared at it.
As if he was using the power of his mind to cause everyone to forget about it.
I first read the book (and all the rest Thomas Harris wrote) back in middle school and many times since. I loved it so much my first tattoo was a death head moth. Your reactions are great! Watching other people react to my favorite movies is the best way to relive them.
So I went to school to learn professional makeup in LA, and right near my school was the Max Factor - Hollywood Museum, we actually had our graduation inside, and while there they actually had the set for the Asylum hallway in the bottom floor, with the actual chair used and everything. The chair was actually shortened by production to make Starling sit at an even lower level in relation to the slightly raised floor of the inside of the Hannibal cell.
I live in Virginia and it is true. That’s where the headquarters for the FBI is at lol.
Too funny that musician, Chris Issac, was head of swat team. One of my favorite musicians.
All I think of when buffalo bill comes up is cartman playing with dolls and the Stifler scene in American wedding. 🤣
Nice Reaction. One small correction, though: at 46:20, the man descending from the plane is indeed Dr. Chilton, and Hannibal is indeed tracking him , to murder (and possible eat) him. However, the man that meets Chilton as the later leaves the plane is not Barney. He is probably some kind of security officer for the place where Chilton is going to stay. Notice that he is carrying a walkie-talkie, and says somenthing like: "The security requests have been arranged..." So Chilton is running for his life and has arranged to stay at some security location, as he knows how dangerous Hanibal is.
If you liked the psychological aspect of this, and it seems like you did, I think you would love the Hannibal TV series. It's incredible in every way. At times a bit more complicated than the movies, but definitely worth the attention it demands.
This movie scared the crap out of me exactly because it was plausible. Reality is way more scary than supernatural. When I first saw it, I was convinced that there were serial killers everywhere and everyone was a potential danger.
I would love you all to watch Law Abiding Citizen with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, I think you would love it! Some of it is rough as you will see I won't clarify of course but brace yourselves a little bit. Also, for the light turning on, she shot the window behind him when firing at him.
Hannibal Lecter’s story is so interesting, it’s based on the books by Thomas Harris, there’s also a tv serie called “Hannibal” and its soo good, for a time I was obsessed with it but had to stop watching for a while because I was having weird dreams about murders and shit haha
Love you guys, always killing it with the movie reactions
The light in the basement was from her shooting out a boarded up window.
This is such a good movie, that I watched way later in life...thank goodness. I loved watching you guys trying to figure out what was going on and the legit surprise when things happened!! Great reaction!!
The film is based on the story of Ed Gein,an American,who tried to do the same kind of thing.
He succeeded to a great extent too.
Recall Clarice conversation with her mentor Jack Crawford where she said serial killers only kill within their ethnic group, thus Barney automatically faces no danger from Lecter.
Good reaction by the way, enjoyed it very much.
I mean that’s not true at all, Dahmer mostly killed men/boys of colour. The reason Barney is safe is actually because he was always polite to Hannibal, so Hannibal would see it as rude to kill him. Hannibal has weird standards, almost like proper society upbringing so wouldn’t go after someone like Barney.
When he stroked her finger, my ass clenched so hard I rose up three inches in the theater seat. 🤣
Agent Starling investigates the hearse
"I feel like there's gonna be some bones"
"Is there a body in here?"
...not quite.
Great reaction! To the guy on the let i hope your neck feels better soon!
One of my all time favorites!!! Y’all are killing it lately
Anthony Hopkins absolutely nailed this one.
Thanks, Zuff! Thanks, Rob! Thanks, Bryce! 🐑 I was fortunate enough to see this in an early screening. The audience was *very* expressive! It remains a favorite of mine. I also appreciate many of the sequels, prequels and associated tv series. #ReelTime #JonathanDemme #TheSilenceOfTheLambs
This movie so good. It was crazy good. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster won Oscars for their role in Silence of the Lambs.
Guys she shot the window letting in the sunlight, Yous must have missed it lol
Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
Cool! I’m wearing my Buffalo Bill's Rubbing Lotion T-shirt today so this was a treat. It’s a top 3 movie for me. Shout out Jonathan Demme's amazing directing of this film.
I agree with Zach about Mindhunter, a masterpiece by David Fincher , it’s riveting and dark and just amazing.
at the 1992 Oscars- Billy Crystal was the host- he made his entrance on a dolly with the face mask on ala Hanibal Lecter- it was up for multiple Oscars that night- winning 5- the big 5- Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay
I think the "love your suit" was his clue that no one in there realized.
Classic movie, great reactions. 👍
Word to the wise: IMO, ya'll can skip right to "Red Dragon" (2002) and stop; all the other Hannibal movies are nowhere as good. 🤷🏻♀️🎬
She shot out a window.
Buffalo Bill and that Goodbye Horses scene is iconic and that song is a masterpiece! 🤣
Anthony Hopkins only had 15 mins of screen time in this whole movie
Damn that’s wild
Zach, an hour into the movie: “there’s two serial killers”
This is one of the most brilliant movies of all time. Many of its smartness couldn't be replicated after without paying homage to this one.
The lights didn't turn on! The boards on the window opened up.
Gerald’s Game is an intense psychological thriller but idk if it’s appropriate for UA-cam. I feel like Zuff would like it most cause it’s pretty intense!
To truly appreciate just how magnificent a job Anthony Hopkins did in this movie, you have to watch one of his other movies like Meet Joe Black. The character he plays is pretty much the opposite of this one and he sells it just as well. It's uncanny. The man has a way of changing his demeanor so completely, you'd think it was a different actor. A twin or something.
Fantastic movie. Great reaction as always gentlemen. By the way.....love the merch....
I have been waiting for the right lead in for this request, and you provided it, so here goes. Please react to "Hannibal", the television series, with Mads Mikkelsen. Without a doubt the best series of its genre ever made. All three seasons are spectacular. You will not be disappointed!
When this movie first came out I literally watched this movie in a theater in Calumet City Illinois . So when the FBI said they were going there for Buffalo bill our whole audience gasped
That’s actually very cool!
one of my favorite movies. just so so so good - looking forward to it!
I’ve been waiting for this one
I would have been between 9-12 when I first watched this movie and I still LOVE IT. I don't remember ever being scared of Hannibal or fearing that he would hurt Clarice. He clearly respected her and was more interested in her career and her mind/potential than anything else. And his escape scene - I was always glued to the screen! And love love LOVE the last scene!!! Buffalo Bill on the other hand, freaked me out a bit. The way he got Catherine is how Ted Bundy got some of his victims, if I'm remembering correctly. Fun fact, Bill and Catherine's actors actually became really good friends on set!
Beard guy almost falls asleep through it. The gun flash in front of the night vision goggles might be blinding and he might miss. She broke a window and the light lit up the place.
I agree with Zuff, you’d love Mindhunter!
That was not Barney with Chilton at the end.
I always love this movie because of many reasons the top one is because one of my closest friends and I stopped talking for over a year and we recently got back in touch and talking again about how Anthony Hopkins was both our first crush in this movie as Hannibal Lector 😅
She shot the basement window out, that's how the lights came on.
This has long been my favorite movie of all time by a landslide. Seen it close to 100 times easily.
Thematically, there's almost too much to discuss for what makes this film so brilliant but I'll highlight one thing that I found and still find striking. First, if you're ignoring awards (which this deservedly won many of), very few movies simultaneously handle plot, pacing, writing, acting, and music in a truly a masterful way. Even if you nitpick, there are just so few structural errors with this film. The score is haunting and accents scenes to perfection.. it doesn't overpower the story or the acting... it enhances it. Scenes don't last longer than they need to, and the story yo-yos between the mystery and backstory and motives of Lecter, his confusing tension with Clarice, and the direct criminal conflict of Buffalo Bill, and these shifts happen in a way that maximizes and preserves the suspense throughout the film. Part of the reason why the scenes between the two houses leading up to the climactic standoff between Bill and Clarice works so well is because a huge surge of tension is built up prior via the hospital sequence. It's a cascade of separate but intertwined climaxes and an ending that satisfies two different angles of justice. 1. Justice for Catherine/Clarice/innocent dog. 2. Justice for Lecter in that his indispensable help in the case was rewarded in him outsmarting his captors after the scam they pulled, escaping, and giving us an incredible cliffhanger where our imagination is allowed to run free on a vengeance narrative in his favor with a POV-fadeout of Lecter in predatory mode after Chilton.
We are meant to feel unsettled by Lecter for the history of his actions that's fed to us throughout, but we're meant to despise Chilton for not only being creepy to clarice, but also narcissistic in his profession and manipulative with the patients under his care. Remember, these criminals at the beginning are in a psychiatric facility, not technically a prison, though for the purpose of the story it is tantamount to a prison.
The main theme I wanted to highlight is that Clarice, from the very start, is bombarded at every turn by unsavory men, men who look down on her, sneer at her, or hit on her. There's a lot of overlapping areas of misogyny layered within the runtime of SOTL, in part because Buffalo Bill's story hinges on misogynistic rage and discontentment with being a fetishist, leading to murder and corpse mutilation of women.... and in part because of what we see Clarice deal with over the course of her character progression. Chilton hits on her creepily immediately upon their first meeting. Miggs throws jizz on her. Crawford implies to male officers that the sex crimes may be too sensitive for Clarice in a way that Clarice has to call him out for because of the way it perpetuates a stereotype that women don't have the backbone for this line of work. For its time, the film is a major commentary on the resilience of women in professions dominated by men: forensics, investigation, law enforcement, and other adjacent fields. The tension and "out of place" feeling we experience through Clarice prior to the forensic investigation of the corpse scene is a huge moment. The officers in the room are posturing and looking down on her, almost as if to deliberately intimidate her for being the only female agent in the room. Every other scene features Clarice facing some sort of new breakthrough with the case and having to shake off the distractions and unprofessionalism of the men around her.
Finally, from not checking her corners during a training exercise at the start of the film to being left alone with Bill due to the department's negligence and sloppy work (not her own) and managing to blow his torso open in a full display of growth and proof of how hard she has worked to get to where she is... She overcomes a lot of bullshit to take down a man who is at his core abusive and hostile toward women. Through all of it, Clarice remains classy, professional, sharp as hell. And her acting was tremendous... in the little ways she sells us these reminders EVEN at the end of the movie that she is a trainee and still learning... her hands are shaky and she can't steady her gun. She struggles to reload efficiently even after being a badass and taking down Bill. The realism and consistency to her storyline is insane and often overlooked.
For me what makes the movie so special isn't just the fact that every aspect of its development was masterful as I already said above, but that for 1991, this kind of quality paired with a female-empowerment arc was INCREDIBLE. There's a reason this film is in the top... and a reason I can't even consider even the best films coming close to it. Hopkins and Foster deserve praise but Ted Levine (Bill) was every bit as good, especially when you look into how he personally prepared for the role and how seriously he took this character. I'm obsessed... the reaction videos to this movie on youtube are like my new favorite thing ever. LOL
That was awsome 😍 You know there's 2 movies who follows this one, still with Anthony Hopkins 🤗
Great channel and reactions guys! Thanks for sharing! Great movie choice too! New subscriber looking forward to more. 🙂😎♥️👍🤗