I really enjoyed Anthoy Hopkins's performance in The Silence of the Lambs, but I think any discussion of the charactershould include mention of Brian Cox, who played Dr. Hannibal "Lecktor" in Michael Mann's movie, Manhunter. The aesthetic is very different, as the cell is antiseptic and isolated, rather than the multi-celled dungeon of the later film. The relationship between the murderer and his interrogator (William Peterson) is substantial, giving less room for the Freudian analysis Hopkins does on Clarice Starling. Both performances are great, but I grew to like Cox's ever more as the character became more of a conventional boogeyman in the sequel and prequel of recent years.

Sent by Patrick | 11:42 AM ET | 04-14-2008

Great characters, in fiction and in life, all tend to have well placed contradictions: believable but surprising contrasts between traits that we would otherwise assume are mutually exclusive. This is often as simple as a clash between tone (how one speaks and carries oneself) and personae (who they really are).

I believe it is in Andrew Horton's Book "Writing the Character-Centered Screenplay" where he concludes that a Gestapo interrogator with the tone of a 2nd-grade teacher can be a far more terrifying (and interesting) character than a screaming one; that Dr. Lecter (both mad and civilized; controlled yet ultimately unable to control himself) is more terrifying and successful because of those contradictions. Thanks be to NPR for doing this most interesting series!

Sent by Tom Seltz | 9:36 AM ET | 04-16-2008

The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorites. An exciting and captivating thriller and superbly acted. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins bring to life two of the most complex and intense characters I have ever seen in my life: Clarice Starling, a metaphor of fortitude in the face of danger, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a metaphor of calculated evil behind a sophisticated veneer.

Sent by Jay | 1:48 PM ET | 04-16-2008

Hopkin's portrayal of Lector is unforgettable. This serial killer of class is more believable to me than any other fictional and most real serial killers. I watched the entire trilogy with Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising, and found Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of a murderer more disturbing. With his character we get far more background information than we ever did on Lecter and we also see the side of himself that he has trouble controlling. Lecter doesn't look threatening while Dolarhyde does. Only when I saw Hannibal Rising did I realize exactly how dangerous Hannibal's character was. He had been a monster since he suffered trauma at a young age ... and eventually grew to embrace what he was. Dolarhyde fought this and lost while Hannibal was always able to appear to fit in, which is much more frightening than a raving lunatic. I found it interesting that instead of mentoring agent Starling, Lecter began to mentor another serial killer and encouraged him to continue to kill. I thought he would snub others but was apparently flattered by Dolarhyde and was willing to complete tasks. I found the interaction in between two serial killers intense and still think about it. Both of these men, after all, were able to fool their friends and coworkers for years. Whether the evil is sophisticated or not, we all know it's out there in one form or another, waiting for the best moment to strike.

Sent by Sarah | 10:55 AM ET | 04-19-2008