#25: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Adapted from Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel, the film follows a young FBI trainee (Jodie Foster) as she hunts a particularly nefarious serial killer. The only catch is that she decides to seek the counsel of Hannibal Lecter, the brilliant yet deranged and imprisoned psychiatrist, played by the indubitable Anthony Hopkins. This film not only redefined the thriller genre, it launched it into hyperspace, paving the way for intelligent and even charming villains to take the place of more “bogeyman” types that had previously defined the genre.
