20 Movies Where The Hero Winning DIDN'T Matter
14. The Silence Of The Lambs
Even now, over 35 years later and with relatively little screen time, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter remains one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. Not just villains, but one of the most memorable characters ever, even earning Academy recognition, which for a horror flick is a feat in and of itself.
The thing with Lecter is that he was never the true antagonist of the story, not until the sequel at least. In The Silence of the Lambs, he was used as a sounding board by Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), having already been locked up for his cannibalistic crimes.
In a way, Hannibal helped Starling with the capture of Jame Gumb, also known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), and with the man killed it was an absolute win for Starling. However, this was tainted by the escape of Hannibal himself, who killed two guards on his way out of his cell.
While stopping Bill, and subsequently saving Catherine (Brooke Smith) was what the entire story was leading up to, Hannibal's escape almost evened the score. A serial killer stopped for a serial killer freed, allowed to roam the world, not being stopped even after the events Hannibal ten years later. This is arguably what turned Clarice into the more bitter and world-weary character she ultimately became.