So many sub-comparisons can be made from this movie. Villains: Anthony Hopkins Vs Kevin Spacey. Lead Actors: Jodie Foster Vs Brad Pitt. Directors: Jonathan Demme vs David Fincher. But if they were judged on an overall basis who wins?

I..

So many sub-comparisons can be made from this movie. Villains: Anthony Hopkins Vs Kevin Spacey. Lead Actors: Jodie Foster Vs Brad Pitt. Directors: Jonathan Demme vs David Fincher. But if they were judged on an overall basis who wins?

I'm not a fan of putting films into genre buckets, but if anything, both these movies were essentially meant to scare and shock you. And in that sense I think that "Seven" did a great job. But where "Silence of the Lambs" wins is in showcasing the depths of depravity of the villain - sometimes even the description of what Lecter has done sends shivers up my spine. In "Seven" the villain only really appears at the end, but in "Silence..." we meet Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) right up front. And that brings me to the performances.

While both movies have cast well for the lead roles, the interplay between Foster and Hopkins in "Silence..." is far more engaging than Brad Pitt's angry young cop versus the cool Kevin Spacey - which is largely carried out without them actually meeting. Though Demme did a fabulous job with the ending of "Seven", it's precisely that - a great and unexpected ending - on which the film really revolves.

"Silence of the Lambs" did not really depend on the end to make the film - I was transfixed by Lecter from the first time he appears on screen. So even though I half-expected the ending, I never felt let down.

So many sub-comparisons can be made from this movie. Villains: Anthony Hopkins Vs Kevin Spacey. Lead Actors: Jodie Foster Vs Brad Pitt. Directors: Jonathan Demme vs David Fincher. But if they were judged on an overall basis who wins?

I'm not a fan of putting films into genre buckets, but if anything, both these movies were essentially meant to scare and shock you. And in that sense I think that "Seven" did a great job. But where "Silence of the Lambs" wins is in showcasing the depths of depravity of the villain - sometimes even the description of what Lecter has done sends shivers up my spine. In "Seven" the villain only really appears at the end, but in "Silence..." we meet Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) right up front. And that brings me to the performances.

While both movies have cast well for the lead roles, the interplay between Foster and Hopkins in "Silence..." is far more engaging than Brad Pitt's angry young cop versus the cool Kevin Spacey - which is largely carried out without them actually meeting. Though Demme did a fabulous job with the ending of "Seven", it's precisely that - a great and unexpected ending - on which the film really revolves.

"Silence of the Lambs" did not really depend on the end to make the film - I was transfixed by Lecter from the first time he appears on screen. So even though I half-expected the ending, I never felt let down.

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