Dec 24, 2005 08:24 AM
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(Updated Dec 24, 2005 08:29 AM)
The Silence of the Lambs,Hannibal and The Red Dragon- the trilogy that sends shivers down my spine even now..........
So what if the movie was released a good 14 years ago,i haven't yet met its match!The one only Hannibal Lecter who casts magic on screen in the form of terror , the unparalleled Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and the conflicting chemistry between them......and a 'grand finale' that shapes up as this mesmerising 'The Silence of the Lambs'.
It all starts with the FBI trying to track a serial killer whose name is not known and who has been committing a lot of gruesome murders of women.After each murder,he strips off the skin of his victim.In fact the investigators have a collection of horror-evoking photographs of the dead victims of the killer infamously known as 'Buffalo Bill' but they are unable to hunt down the person whom they suspect to be a psychopath and a transvestite.
On parallel lines, we are also introduced to a cannibal-the crafty and intriguing Dr.Hannibal Lecter,the backbone of the movie and the entire trilogy by all means.Dr.Lecter ,though he has shown amazing brilliance and genius in life,has a palate for human flesh.......he loves to have something 'human' for his dinner as he casually puts it in different bits of the movie......he is fascinated by the human face and wouldn't mind a tongue or at the most a liver to quench his appetite........
His dangerous existence came to an end when he became behind bars and ever since, he has been there.After almost eight years an ambitious trainee from the FBI is sent to meet Dr.Lecter in the high security prison with a purpose.......That's when the story begins.........
The trainee has to collect details from the cannibalistic Lecter regarding the psychopathic nature of 'Buffalo Bill' because Lecter, for all his defects, has always been one of shrewd intellect and an immense intake on human nature and its psychology.......he had been a psychiatrist all along.
Clarice is the agent or the trainee who takes up the challenge with no objections and when she meets him for the first time in the prisons,she gets an inkling of the analytical,eagle-eyed Lecter who seems to know her inside out.....and who seems to expect an intelligent counterpart to get things out of his head........
A chemistry develops between them with the frequent meetings but is Clarice able to accomplish her task?What is the outcome of the chemistry?What kind of a chemistry is it?Ultimately what happens to 'Buffalo Bill'?
Well,for a multitude of questions....you should see the movie.......i know its too late to give this comment because many of you would have seen it but if some of you have not then please do.
Anthony Hopkins(Hannibal)was born to play this role!His face and those dead piercing eyes in it have the capability to haunt you for a long time.....and if you are not too sure you may even feel his presence beside you soon after the movie!He is just a psycho human being but he is scarier than any Count Dracula or the other Demons and vampires that you have met!
Jodie Foster is just apt as the interrogator turned 'emotional victim' of Lecter.It was a shock for me that she was replaced by Julianne Moore in its sequel 'Hannibal'.
The camera work is brilliant in its ability to bring about the subtle shades of Lecter's character in closeup shots with Ms.Starling.The sombre mood of the movie is successfully maintained by the excellent lighting effects.
A couple of sequences are terrifying which happens towards the end when Lecter manages to bite out the flesh from his victims' bodies.
On the whole, the movie is a must watch for people who like thrillers.Like icing on the cake,this thriller starts off on a symbolic setting when Clarice is on a training regime out in the air before she is called into the office for her assignment which takes her into a new area of learning.......
'Red Dragon' is the first among the trilogy but it came out as the last in release.The three movies are verycommendable with 'Silence........'taking the first prize.
'Hannibal' comes next and then 'Red Dragon'
