Silence of the Lambs- Spoiler Alert!

One of my all-time favorite movies is Silence of the Lambs for two reasons: 1. I am fascinated by serial killers. This may seem odd, but I find the motives and personal histories of serial killers intriguing because in my opinion, these killers are shaped by their environments and it is important to understand the neurological and environmental aspects of psychopathy to find a way to perhaps "cure" it. 2. Anthony Hopkins is one of the greatest actors who ever lived. In the film, Hopkins portrays a brilliant psychiatrist turned cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter whose character simultaneously made me loathe and love him. He possesses qualities of a textbook psychopath- high level of intelligence, charm, and lack of remorse or moral qualms about killing. His manipulations of the people around him are astonishing, for instance in the beginning of the film when he convinces the man in the cell next to him to kill himself. He calmly recounts one of his murders: "I ate his liver with some fava beans, and a nice Chianti." His role in the film was to help detective Clarice Starling catch another serial killer, Buffalo Bill, who kidnaps overweight women and starves, kills, and skins them. He then, like the real serial killer he was based on, Ed Gein, wears their skins because he actually wants to be a woman. Lecter provides valuable insight into the mind of Buffalo Bill and ultimately helps Starling track him. The chillingly calm and twisted manner in which Hopkins portrays Lecter is astonishing- Oscar well deserved. He portrays down to every last detail, the charm, menacing calm, and twisted sense of morality of a psychopath.