In The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling interviews the imprisoned serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
Lecter is a former psychiatrist and highly intelligent murderer who offers psychological insight in exchange for information. FBI trainee Clarice Starling consults him while trying to identify a separate killer known as Buffalo Bill. Their conversations drive much of the film’s suspense.
Jonathan Demme directed the 1991 film, adapted from Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel. Anthony Hopkins played Lecter and Jodie Foster played Starling. Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor despite appearing on screen for a relatively short amount of time. Ted Levine portrayed Buffalo Bill, while Scott Glenn played FBI official Jack Crawford. These characters are distinct, although their names are frequently associated together in summaries of the film.