Plot hole: It makes absolutely no sense that there would be over a dozen cops and soldiers in the lobby of the courthouse and leave only two cops to guard Lecter regardless that he was locked in the makeshift cell. Yes the plot needs a reason for him to easily escape but this still goes against every conceivable protocol for such a dangerous prisoner especially when there were dozens of armed personnel just in the scene alone when he was being transferred from the plane.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Plot summary
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald
A serial killer known as Buffalo Bill is murdering women, and even worse, leaving them partially skinned. FBI guru Jack Crawford enlists trainee Clarice Starling to go to Hannibal Lecter, an infamous serial killer and cannibal himself, in an attempt to get information on Buffalo Bill's identity. Therein, Hannibal and Clarice form a strange "quid pro quo" relationship, in which he offers information on her case in exchange for personal information about herself. In time he leads her closer and closer to the way she catches the serial killer, who has, at this time, kidnapped a senator's daughter, sending the urgency of the case skyrocketing. While in custody to offer information to the senator herself, Hannibal kills two security guards and escapes ingeniously by wearing one of the dead men's faces. Clarice finally realises that Buffalo Bill is skinning the murdered women in order to make himself a woman suit out of real women, and accidentally goes to his house while attempting to get information on his identity. She gets caught in the basement with him in the dark after discovering the senator's daughter alive and shoots and kills him. After the ordeal, she is promoted to FBI agent. She then gets a call from Hannibal Lecter, who is abroad and about to make another kill: His nemesis, the doctor at the prison where he was held for eight years.
More mistakes in The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal Lecter: I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner.
Trivia: None of the moths seen in the film are actual Death Head moths. In the interest of avoiding the hassle involved with actually shipping moth eggs over, then halting filming so they could be raised to the proper level of maturity, the production crew simply went with a similar looking domestic breed of moth, and glued false fingernails painted with the trademark skull like visage onto their bodies.
Question: Why was Hannibal Lecter so interested in Clarice's past? How would it benefit him?
Answer: Also, he loves psychiatry and analyzing people. He is bored in his cell and this is a chance to do something he enjoys a lot.
Answer: Clarice's answers also enable Lecter to assess her honesty/ integrity and sincerity, as well as ascertain if she is trustworthy - or even worthy - enough for him to reveal certain kinds of information.
Answer: I remember a scene where he seems to roll his eyes in a kind of ecstasy as he comprehends, then thanks her, and shortly after touches her hand as he passes the folder. "People will say we're in love."
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Answer: Knowing about her past gives him an advantage in how he can manipulate her - he understands her fears, weaknesses, strengths, and so on. A psychiatrist normally deconstructs a patient's psychological make-up to better understand and help them, but in Lecter's case, he uses this knowledge against his victims. However, as he learns about Clarice, he becomes sympathetic and protective toward her.
raywest ★