And the Best Picture goes to....

I really enjoyed watching “The Silence of the Lambs,” which might be one of the first thrillers to win the Best Picture Oscar. Based on the book by Thomas Harris, director Jonathan Demme carefully crafted a suspenseful and psychological script, maintaining a steady pace that kept my attention throughout its nearly two-hour runtime.

All the performances were strong, including those of Scott Glenn and Ted Levine. Jodie Foster won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of FBI trainee Clarice Starling. She convincingly portrays a tough exterior while also revealing a vulnerable side to her character. The cat-and-mouse games she played with Anthony Hopkins were captivating, and the final phone call scene, where he chillingly proclaims that he’s “having an old friend for dinner,” added a touch of dark humor. Despite having only about fifteen minutes of screen time, Hopkins created one of cinema’s most iconic villains in the dubious Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This led me to wonder whether Hopkins deserved to win the Best Actor award for what was essentially a supporting role.

One particular inconsistency that bothered me was the scene in which Lecter attacks the two guards.  In this intense sequence, he kills both guards, changes clothes with one, removes his face, disposes of the body on top of the elevator, and straps the remaining guard to the side of his cell. I found it difficult to believe that those events could happen without any other guard or security personnel noticing, as it should have taken at least two hours to occur.

While I considered “Silence of the Lambs” to be a good film, in the end, I would have voted for “Bugsy” for Best Picture.