10 Iconic Villains Who Were Barely In The Movie
1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter - Silence Of The Lambs (1991): 16 Minutes
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is arguably the most legendary villain in movie history. His supreme intelligence, soft and elegant way of speaking and truly terrifying cannibalistic bloodlust has helped keep audiences gripped for nearly three decades now.
The biggest reason behind this is the iconic performance put in by Anthony Hopkins during his debut with the character in The Silence Of The Lambs all the way back in 1991. Coming up against a fresh-faced yet highly competent Agent Clarice Starling, portrayed equally brilliantly by Jodie Foster, in a thrilling series of exchanges, The Silence Of The Lambs follows the pair as they hunt down the sadistic serial killer, Buffalo Bill.
It truly does speak volumes about the level of a performance when an actor is scooping up an Academy Award for best actor, despite only boasting the amount of screen time usually reserved for supporting characters.
Hopkins' performance in The Silence Of The Lambs would lead to two far more Hannibal-heavy films, however there's simply no denying that his first outing will always remain his best, even if we are simply given a teaser at 16 minutes worth of runtime.