10 Sarcastic Movie Pricks You Can't Help But Love
8. Dr Hannibal Lecter - The Silence Of The Lambs
I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner.
There's no point having a boring sociopath is there? And the prized doctor with the prized sense of humour, the flickering tongue and the cannibalistic tendencies was anything but boring; Cold, calm, and utterly considered, Hopkins brings an unnerving stillness in his portrayal as the unruffled but insane serial killer.
What lends Lecter's humour such an cutting edge was his casual sarcasm. You know he's studying you, you know he has all the time in the world to wait for you to make your mistake, and you know that he knows it too. So Lecter brings out the charm and hits you with an odd friendliness; "Is this a coincidence, or are you back on the case? If so, goody-goody". And Lecter's cat-and-mouse dual with Clarice brings about the darkest shades of his pseudo-aphorisms.
There is an odd kind of respect between a sociopath and cop, sometimes there is even a suggestion of a love affair. And Lecter uses a soft, friendly undercurrent of sarcasm to manipulate Clarice like a pawn in his psychological game.
Lecter; "Is this Clarice? Why, hello Clarice". And when he's not offering with mock-salutations Lecter; "Have you met my friend Mason Verger?" Clarice; "Yes". Lecter; "Face to face, so to speak?" Clarice: "Face to face" Lecter: "Attractive, isn't he?"
And perhaps Lecter at his most sarcastic in Hannibal (2001) "Bowels in or bowels out?"