Silence of the Lambs (1991) (Blu Ray) - 9/10

It's funny that I ended up watching 2 Jonathan Demme movies in a day without even knowing it. Almost 18 years after it's release, Silence of the Lambs still holds up as one of my favorite serial killer movies of all time alongside Se7en and Zodiac. Watching this again on Blu Ray tonight was a treat as I'd never seen the movie look this good which helped the overall appreciation of every aspect of it's intensity. The movie works on multiple levels as the incredible cast of Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, haunting score by Howard Shore, and the Hitchcock type editing all create a dark procedural drama that brings you into the minds of not one but two serial killers while showing no mercy. Having the movie revolve around Jodie Foster really made me appreciate how it differed from the book as we see her interpretations of Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill's actions but don't get the thoughts inside their heads so much as we connect with her struggle and emotion to solve the crimes. It's hard to pick a favorite scene in the movie but what I think was the most effective was at the end when they show the swat team approaching the house and then when they break down the door, we cut to Clarice coming face to face with Buffalo Bill instead, an editing trick that really takes you by surprise. What's cool to think about is that they intentionally tell the audience more than the actors know, making it seem like there is more suspense than is shown on screen b/c I know it's the bad guy she stumbles across at the end. This movie is a classic in every sense, showing the intense battle of wits b/w serial killers and the cops while also making the hero a woman who is learning as she goes. There are so many films out there that deal with serial killers but this is prob the only one that won best picture and deservedly so.