The Silence of the Lambs
1991 · Movie · R · 119 min · ★ 8.3 · 91% critics
Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI training academy, is pulled into a dark investigation and tasked with interviewing a brilliant, imprisoned psychiatrist. Her contact may provide insight into a series of murders, but it also puts her in the path of a dangerous mind.
Based on The Silence of the Lambs
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Details
- Years
- 1991
- Release date
- 1991-02-14
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Critic score
- 91/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.3/10 (18,021 votes)
- Box office
- $272,742,922
- Budget
- $19,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy The Silence of the Lambs if you want an intense, unforgettable psychological thriller with top-tier tension and memorable performances; Not for you if you dislike dark, unsettling crime stories or want lighter thrills like Seven or Zodiac.
Pros: relentless suspense; standout performances; iconic thriller | Cons: upsetting content; some pacing drag; may feel unrealistic
Themes
- prison
- based on novel or book
- kidnapping
- psychopath
- fbi
- scientific study
- murder
- serial killer
- psychological thriller
- brutality
- cannibal
- psychiatrist
- +15 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1992
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1992
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1992
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1992
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1992
Show all 29 awards →
- BAFTA Award — Best Actress in a Leading Role · 1992
- BAFTA Award — Best Actor in a Leading Role · 1992
- Writers Guild of America Award — Best Adapted Screenplay · 1992
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1991
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award — Best Actor · 1991
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award — Best Actor · 1991
- Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1991
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama · 1991
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award — Best Actor · 1991
- National Board of Review Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1991
- National Board of Review Award — Best Director · 1991
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Actor · 1991
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Actress · 1991
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Director · 1991
- Saturn Award — Best Actor · 1991
- National Board of Review Award — Best Film
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1992 · nominated
Cast & crew
Jodie Foster
as Clarice Starling
Anthony Hopkins
as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Scott Glenn
as Jack Crawford
Ted Levine
as Jame Gumb
Anthony Heald
as Dr. Frederick Chilton
Brooke Smith
as Catherine Martin
Diane Baker
as Senator Ruth Martin
Kasi Lemmons
as Ardelia Mapp
Frankie Faison
as Barney
Tracey Walter
as Lamar
Directed by Jonathan Demme