Editing The Silence of the Lambs (film) (section)

===Critical response===
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| footer            = The performances of [[Jodie Foster]] and [[Anthony Hopkins]] garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning them the [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] and [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] respectively.
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The movie was a [[sleeper hit]] that gradually gained widespread success and critical acclaim.{{sfn|Collins|1992|p=35}} Foster, Hopkins, and Levine garnered much acclaim for their performances. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 95% of 153 film critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster."<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_of_the_lambs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223045451/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_of_the_lambs |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 20 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|title=''The Silence of the Lambs'' Reviews|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-silence-of-the-lambs |work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-date=February 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221005633/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-silence-of-the-lambs|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170916153548/https://m.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', specifically mentioned the "terrifying qualities" of Hannibal Lecter.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=The Silence of the Lambs Movie Review (1991)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=March 11, 2014|date=February 14, 1991|archive-date=April 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427200633/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991|url-status=live}}</ref> Ebert later added the film to his list of ''[[The Great Movies]]'', recognizing the film as a "horror masterpiece" alongside such classics as ''[[Nosferatu]]'', ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'', and ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=The Great Movies: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=March 11, 2014|date=February 18, 2001|via=rogerebert.com|archive-date=February 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214150037/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the film is also notable for being one of two multi-Academy Award winners (the other being ''[[Unforgiven]]'') to get a bad review from Ebert's colleague, [[Gene Siskel]]. Writing for ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Siskel said, "Foster's character, who is appealing, is dwarfed by the monsters she is after. I'd rather see her work on another case."<ref>{{cite web|last=Siskel|first=Gene|author-link=Gene Siskel|title=Jodie Foster Appealing, But Not 'Silence of the Lambs'|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-02-15-9101150268-story.html|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=December 30, 2021|date=February 15, 1991|archive-date=July 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722110616/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-02-15/entertainment/9101150268_1_dr-lecter-serial-killer-jodie-foster|url-status=live}}</ref>