The Silence of the Lambs

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The Silence of the Lambs

R

1991

1h 58m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

161 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

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Critics Consensus

Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

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Jim Murphy

The Age (Australia)

Jan 21, 2026

Gruesome but riveting.

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Steve Murray

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sep 23, 2025

A brilliant, unnerving work, "Lambs" proves that pop filmmaking can make both the heart and mind race.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Aug 2, 2023

The crux of this excellent thriller is the battle of intellect and wills between them [Clarice Starling and Dr Hannibal Lecter].

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Connor Petrey

Pop Culture Leftovers

May 16, 2026

In reality, there is no such thing as a timeless classic. Things change too much and too often for anything to stay 100% at the top, but The Silence of the Lambs is one of the closest things you’ll ever find to that terminology.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Apr 24, 2026

An outstanding film. Very impressed. I let a literal gasp at moments

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Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

Feb 28, 2026

5/5

The gathering tear in Lecter's eye after Clarice's confession is the brilliant pinpoint of light that ultimately redeems the blackness of this dark fairy tale.

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Jackson

1 day ago

one of my favorite movies

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Marc milinovich M

Jul 3, 2026

This movie deserves the Oscars it won with the superior acting from Jody foster and the perfect performance from who would be Sir Anthony Hopkins.

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Eric

May 29, 2026

Beautiful to see this movie in the theaters! The acting is superb. Classic early 90s vibe, def see the inlfuence this would have had on Scully/X-Files. :)

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Todd

May 19, 2026

Classic blockbuster that deserves the biggest screen experience possible. Well worth the cost of Imax

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Santeria R

May 4, 2026

Person next to us wouldn’t shut up and kept quoting the movie

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Richard W

May 3, 2026

1st I had read the book, but I never had the chance to see this movie on the Big Screen. Sure I have a very nice big screen in my home and have watched this DVD more than once, seeing this on the Big Screen and in a very nice seat and sound system.....This is a must see, it will remind you why it received all the rewards...

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Jonathan Demme

Director

Jodie Foster

Clarice Starling

Anthony Hopkins

Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Scott Glenn

Jack Crawford

Ted Levine

Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb

Anthony Heald

Dr. Frederick Chilton

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Synopsis

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Producer: Ronald M. Bozman, Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt
Screenwriter: Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 13, 1991, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $130.7M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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