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Drama/Horror/Mystery. Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Frankie Faison, Charles Napier, Danny Darst. Oscar winner: Best Picture

Synopsis: A young F.B.I. trainee gets into a psychological match with a jailed serial killer in order to get a profile on an active serial killer who has killed several young women and abducted the daughter of a U.S. Senator.

To me, its hard to look any top 10 movie list of all time and not see Silence of the Lambs on it. Seeing it in the theater all those years ago when I was still young and now, through the magic of DVD, being able to see some of the behind the scenes footage and interviews with some of the actors just makes it all the more amazing.

On the slim chance that you have not either seen it or have heard about the plot to this classic, F.B.I. trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster Inside Man) is recruited by her superior (Scott Glenn Codebreakers, Training Day) to interview the infamour cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins Proof)  in hopes that she might get some information that will help the F.B.I. in its hunt for active serial killer "Buffalo Bill"(Ted Levine The Hills Have Eyes).

The "relationship" between Lecter and Starling proves ultimately fruitful as the young trainee is able to unlock some of the hidden complexities of Lecter's insane mind and use them to aid in the hunt for Buffalo Bill. But Lecter also cleverly uses his knowledge of the acting serial killer to set the bed for his own escape.

To me, one of the most amazing things about this film is its ability to weave so many different genres, subgenres, and elements into the story. We have classic horror, with the most frightening things, as they alwasy are, being unseen or implied, There is suspense, mystery, and-yes-a touch of romance in a serial killer-FBI profiler kind of way. But, Demme didn't skimp on the action. No, not at all. I challenge almost anyone to look at the Lecter escape scene and not squirm just a little.

Most would say that the briliiance of Hopkins carries this flick and that's true...the way its written we have to fear Lecter.  But the performance of Foster cannot be overlooked, especially at a time when strong female leads in this type of film were even less prevalent than they are now. To boot, the supporting cast is awesome as well. Levine's performance as Buffalo Bill, while not one for the ages like Hopkins, is powerfully creep and he could carry a horror film on his own. Likewise, Brooke Smith (Iron Jawed Angels), Diane Baker, Frankie Faison, Danny Heald, and Kasi Lemmons (Candyman) also hit home runs with their limited screen time.

To me, the film has no flaws, other than it might be too creepy or violent for the fairer minded among us, but for anyone who actually watches the film...it just doesn't get any better.         

Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schrieber, Jon Voight, Jeffrey Wright, Vera Farmiga, Kimberly Elise. Sci/Fi/Drama.  Synopsis: An Army officer with disturbing dreams after the Gulf War finds that his curious memories of one major incident are exactly the same as other soldiers who were there, particularly one former soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics and is now on the short list for Vice President. But, is the memory real, or was it somehow planted in all of them for political purposes?

My first disclosure is that I have never seen the original of this film, which I know is considered by many to be a classic. Clearly, it is not a complete remake since it is modernized to the present day and the antagonists are not a foreign communist power but a seedy, greedy corporation...named Manchurian.

In this version of the story, a Gulf War combat veteran officer (Denzel Washington Inside Man) is doing public relations for the Army, in particular telling people about the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest. This is of particular relevance because one of the soldiers (Liev Schreiber The Omen) who served under him in Kuwait is no a representative from the State of New York who is a dark horse candidate to land a spot on the presidential ticket in the Vice-President slot.

He also happens to be the son of a very influential and manipulative Senator (Meryl Streep The Devil Wears Prada)  Now, all of this sounds just fine, but some of the other member of the unit who are still alive when their hero comrade makes his run for office realize that they share the exact same memories of that fateful night in Kuwait...and now share the same nightmares all these years later.

As you might predict, Denzel's character is the one who takes it the furthest, coming to believe that he and his fellow soldiers have been the victim of some kind of brain washing experiment, maybe even to put one of them into the White House.

I know this movie did not do as well as expected at the box office, given the Hall of Fame cast and the fact that the original film was such a classic. I don't know, maybe you can't go home again, but I don't think the story is dated in the way we might have thought if it had been released in, say, 1998, when the biggest threat to our security-at least publicly-was seen to be a oversexed Commander in Chief and a loose intern. No, the story is not dated and it works for me, with the required suspension of disbelief.

The performances of the actors is wonderful as you would expect. To me, the definition of "wasting time" is to actually spend minutes on a blog saying that Streep and Washington are outstanding as the leads...what else am I going to "tell" you? That the sun will rise in the East?

Schreiber is real good here, too, and he has to be, since the film really revolves around the viewer feeling some empathy for him, as he is not really the bad guy here. Who is? Well, I'm no spoiler, but I will give a hint to those who have not seen the film. The term "bad guy" should not be taken too literally.

So, I liked it, though I would be interested to hear the views of people who have seen and enjoyed the original with Frank Sinatra. That would be interesting.