13 Intense Movie Performances That Are Incredibly Difficult To Watch

7. Anthony Hopkins - The Silence Of The Lambs

From Al Pacino's explosive, almost pantomime grotesque to something at the opposite end of the performance scale, which is part of Hopkins' success in the role. The contrast of his ice-cold, calculating Lecter and the more volatile, dangerous psychosis of Buffalo Bill is one of his fundamental pillars of success, and in an utterly perverse manner the audience ends up cheering Lecter as an anti-hero, precisely because his approach to being a villain is better than Bill's.

And therein lies the difficulty in watching Lecter. It's not simply that the intense physical performance that Hopkins offered was so utterly disarming - all precise creases and clinical cleanliness - but also that we found ourselves suckered into loving him. He is one of the most iconic characters - and not just villains - in all of cinema, and it is for good reason that he has now appeared in four films and a TV show, and that appeal can all be traced back to Hopkins' stunning, skin-crawlingly provocative performance.

It might be brilliant, but still to this day that nitrogen dipped voice, and the mischievous eyes send tingles up even the most familiar spines.