The Best Thrillers on Netflix Right Now

Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine

The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most lauded, referenced, and quoted movies of all time; it might just be the best modern thriller ever made. Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she enlists the help of the incarcerated cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in order to catch a serial killer on the loose nicknamed Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). The film is of course famous for Hopkins’ performance as Lecter, specifically the (in)famous line where he tells Clarice just what he ate, along with a census taker who tried to test him. The Silence of the Lambs is a brilliant film with strong performances all around (Jodie Foster’s Clarice is one of cinema’s greatest heroes), tense and thrilling direction, and a tight, whip smart script that leaves you guessing until the very end. The Silence of the Lambs was a huge critical and commercial success, famously winning all of the “Big Four” Academy Awards: Best Actor (for Hopkins), Best Actress (for Foster), Best Director, and Best Picture.