--- title: "The Silence of the Lambs: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Silence of the Lambs (1991): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is strongly favourable, with praise centred on Jonathan Demme’s controlled direction and the psychological exchanges between Anthony Hopkins’s Lecter and Jodie Foster’s Clarice. Most critics find the suspense effective because Demme avoids cheap shocks and shows restraint with violence. Hopkins receives particular attention for making Lecter unnerving, while Foster’s performance gives the encounters emotional weight. Several reviews also value the gothic atmosphere and the attention to Clarice’s inner life. The differences are chiefly matters of emphasis rather than outright dissent, and the scored reviews occupy a narrow, positive range. The Hollywood Reporter finds that the Buffalo Bill storyline is somewhat overshadowed by Clarice and Lecter, whereas Time Out singles out Levine’s performance for particular praise. The New Yorker expresses a broader reservation: the filmmaking is intelligent and careful, but the sensational material makes its response harder to settle. Elsewhere, that restraint is precisely what critics admire. ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 5/5. The critic highlights the film's success in elevating cinematic serial killers through Hopkins' Oscar-winning Lecter and Foster's Clarice, crediting Demme for an effortless shift to terror with gothic gloom, genuine suspense, and chilling mind games between the leads. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bn7gcx/the-silence-of-the-lambs/) ## Empire — Barry McIlheney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a triumph thanks to its narrative strength, Demme's confident direction, and its ability to frighten without resorting to cheap tricks. Hopkins and Foster deliver standout performances that elevate the adaptation of Harris's novel. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/silence-lambs-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Lizzie Francke Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2017. The critic calls Demme's film a sombre masterpiece that neatly adapts the novel while focusing on Clarice Starling's emotional and psychological journey through trauma. It praises the gothic atmosphere, strong characterisation especially Hopkins' Lecter, and restraint in handling sensational material. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/silence-lambs-archive-review-jodie-foster-americas-underworld-desire) ## Film Comment — Kathleen Murphy Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1991. The critic examines Demme's film as a complex study of predation and pursuit, focusing on the intense psychological interplay between Clarice and Lecter. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/issue/january-february-1991/) ## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 1991. Demme's film is an exceptionally good one, perhaps his best, that elevates the horror genre into something that can be argued about as a treatise on its unsettling times. It incorporates grisly humour and ends on a black joke while showcasing a spectacular central performance from Hopkins. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,530779,00.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 1991. The critic calls the film a spellbinding Psycho-style thriller that excels in its cat-and-mouse scenes between Clarice and Lecter, thanks to Demme's masterful direction and Hopkins' unnerving performance. Foster holds her own as the determined trainee, though the Buffalo Bill plot is somewhat overshadowed. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/silence-lambs-review-1991-movie-1084731/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The review finds the film satisfying in its old-fashioned way, comparable to Manhunter, and highlights the electrically alive confrontations between Clarice and Lecter along with strong performances from Foster, Hopkins, and especially Levine as Buffalo Bill. It notes Demme's restraint in depicting violence. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson 13 February 1991. Demme's vision is called stunning and unusual, focusing on the hypnotic duel between the FBI trainee and the sociopath rather than cheap effects, with Hopkins' performance highlighted as standout. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-13-ca-987-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty 18 February 1991. The film is described as artful pulp treated with intelligence and care, effective in its filmmaking but difficult to fully resolve feelings about due to its sensational elements. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/02/25/moth-and-flame) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby 14 February 1991. The critic praises Demme's swift, witty suspense thriller for its macabre elements handled off-screen and the strong performances, especially in the psychological duel between Clarice and Lecter. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/14/movies/review-film-methods-of-madness-in-silence-of-the-lambs.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff 31 December 1990. The review calls it a skillful adaptation that intelligently explores aberrant psychology, with sharp scripting, strong performances from Foster, Glenn, and especially Hopkins. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1200428679/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie 15 February 2018. The piece positions the film as a horror-thriller hybrid that creates an iconic monster in Lecter through Hopkins' performance and Demme's close-up style, while exploring themes of voyeurism and male predation. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-silence-of-the-lambs-a-thinking-persons-monster-movie/) ## Digital Spy — Jo Berry 29 August 2022. The critic celebrates the film's enduring power as more than horror, highlighting its groundbreaking feminist portrayal of Clarice Starling and its influence on the genre. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a40941799/silence-of-the-lambs-influence/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs.md