The Silence of the Lambs

Stupidity: Lecter fires the first bullet to alert the police that something is up, and the lift goes up, then comes down. Now in all this, only 6 or 7 go up the floor where Lecter was. Why aren't police sent in groups to investigate every floor? Lecter could have been anywhere, instead there are about 30 police huddled on the lobby floor.

kh1616

Stupidity: Why does Lecter need to spend the night in Memphis? The flight from Baltimore to Memphis is only 60-90 minutes, and they're on a government plane. His "deal" only goes into effect if Catherine is found. Considering how dangerous he is, wouldn't they just turn around and fly back to Baltimore after the short meeting with the Senator and not risk moving him to some other location, that it turns out is poorly guarded?

Stupidity: Clarice enters the ward with the most dangerous inmates, which is guarded by at least 2 male nurses and an officer, with CCTV and through 2 gates with bars that let the sound out perfectly. Before she enters, Barney the nurse even tells her he'll be watching, and Lecter is obviously the most important patient of the very small wing of the hospital. Clarice stays there barely a couple of minutes; the inmates begin to make a big ruckus, screaming wildly, but there's absolutely nobody to be seen at the gate, where everyone within earshot of the screaming patients would at least peek. Especially counting the fact that she already broke the regulation about getting close to the glass rather early in the chat, which should have alerted the guards. (00:12:00)

Sammo

Revealing mistake: When Clarice is at the archive, she sees two articles, one entitled "Baltimore Psychiatrist Receives Highest Honor" and "New horrors in 'Cannibal Trial'." The column beneath both titles to the right is exactly the same, and in the first article, that same column is repeated at the leftmost and rightmost columns and in the second, is repeated at the rightmost column. That same column is scattered on every article she sees. (00:21:35)

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Trivia: In the cage scene right before Hannibal kills and eats the guards, he tells them to roll up the drawings. When the guard is doing that, you can see a copy of Bon Appetit magazine on the table.

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Question: I can not figure out how in the world agent Starling makes the connection about where Buffalo Bill lives. I don't understand the connection she makes at the house where she finds the pictures and says "you covet what you see" It has driven me crazy for years and I need help. How does she figure it all out?

Answer: In Frederika's bedroom Clarice sees the dress being made and recognises that the pieces of material are the same shape as the pieces of skin missing from the victims' bodies. In the bank, where Clarice meets Frederika's friend, Stacy tells her the address of 'Mrs Lippman' whom Frederika used to work with. Presumably Buffalo Bill is related to, or is, Mrs. Lippman since that is where Clarice finds him.

jle

He's not Mrs Lippman. He did, however, kill her. As Clarice chases him through the cellar, the woman's decomposing body is in a tub.

Answer: "You covet what you see": Agent Starling looks out the window of the girl's house to see who the neighbors are, who may have been watching the girl.

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