Before he descended into recycling various caricatures of Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins scared the bejeesus out of most of the world in 1991 with his performance in The Silence of the Lambs. With ferocious zeal at times and alarming restraint at others, Hopkins turned what could have been a run-of-the-mill, search-for-a-serial-killer film into a super creepy meditation on madness and identity.
Based on Thomas Harris’ novel of the same name, the story follows an FBI agent (Jodie Foster) who must use the analytical skills of a former psychologist-turned-cannibal (Hopkins) to track down a killer. It won 5 Academy Awards when it was released, and has spawned a series of increasingly lazy spinoffs.—Finn Cohen
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Friday, May 27 through Sunday, May 29
Midnight (all showtimes)
IFC Center
323 6th Ave, New York
Tickets $13
