MovieChat Forums > The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Discussion > Who here wanted to punch Clarice

Who here wanted to punch Clarice


When Buffalo Bill starts running and she doesn't shoot him? Seriously you're supposed to be an FBI agent a man who you know is a psycho killer is running (probably going for his gun) and you just let him go? God she sucks.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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She should have pulled her gun out quicker too... But yeah, that part bothered me too. I guess we have to understand that at the time she still technically wasn't an official FBI agent yet.

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If she wants to stay alive she needs to learn to not hesitate and to trust her instincts. Plus what the hell was up with "Catherine you're safe"??? No she isn't, Buffalo Bill was still very much in the house with a gun and night vision goggles. Sounds to me like they should have postponed giving her FBI status.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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Yeah. She probably said that to Catherine to calm her down, but it sort of did the opposite. I think Clarice should have called for backup before going into the house alone it was a stupid decision.

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She was such a joke, just came off as a giggling school girl, I saw no difference between her and Denise Richards from The World is not Enough. Couldn't take her seriously as an FBI agent.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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And can you name ONE moment in "Silence" where Foster is actually giggling, or otherwise acting inappropriately?

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Ridiculous and unsubstantiated comment.

She starts off as a determined, controlled student. She does very well, indeed.

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Back up would have taken several minutes to get there and the whole goal was to save Catherine's *beep* life you idiots!!! If she just went outside and waited Catherin could have been murdered. She did what she had to do to save Catherine and succeeded. Good on her. The only frustrating part is watching Bill not shoot her head off

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But Bill started running and she didn't shoot him!!! Why the hell not??? She was perfectly justified. For all she knew he had a damn shotgun in the next room and was going to blow her brains out.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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That may be what a real-life FBI agent would have done in that situation; but remember that this is cinema. The protracted scene in the basement helped to slowly but surely build the tension, putting her in clear danger; when she finally kills Buffalo Bill, it's like a catharsis / relief for the viewer. Many film climaxes work the same way - consider the long denouments of "Titanic", "Lord of the Rings", and "Star Wars".

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Is it o-k to shoot at people who are running away? Maybe they are going toward mayhem, but is it o-k to shoot them? I'm under the impression we shouldn't shoot people who aren't facing us with arms. Maybe I'm wrong.

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My point is she should have had backup before even going there alone to begin with. They could have waited outside and did something similar to what the other FBI agents were going to do with the undercover flower delivery man, but she took the case personal and took it upon herself. She got lucky, but it was ultimately not a very wise decision on her part.

And Catharine was kept alive there for awhile because he was starving her to make her skin tighter.. Yes, he planned on killing her but not in that moment.

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[deleted]

Touché touché.

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She didn't know the killer lived in the house, remember? After talking to Crawford, she thought she was just tying up a loose end.

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Before she pulled her gun out she knew that guy was Buffalo Bill so don't try to act like it completely took her by surprise, secondly the guy was running from her and was most definitely a threat to others, she was well within her right to shoot him.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine

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He ducked around the corner pretty unexpectedly and quick. She wasn't prepared for that.

I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!

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I think Clarice should have called for backup before going into the house alone it was a stupid decision.


She didn't know Jack Gordon was really Jamie Gum aka Buffalo Bill. She didn't know until she saw the DeathHead Moth on the spool of thread. She had no reason to call for backup yet.

((Damn the remakes, Save the originals.))

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I agree that she walked into a serious situation w/o capable back-up.
But it's a movie, so it should be dramatic. SOTLs delivered.
To me, it was believable enough to enjoy.

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Indeed, in the book it perfectly clear. They left this detail like a background plot element which wasn't that important to focus on and consider it. While in the book she's frequently reminded that she's still in training and that she can't act like one. She is obviously really careful with what she does and how she does it. I did feel like it was really a burden to her in the movie.

But still... In america.... I guess when it's like life treating, I can't imagine that she wouldn't be able to find a way to explain it to the chief, especially when a soon to be victim was saved because of her. This guy wasn't a gas station robber, he was the most wanted man of the country. Plus, the whole country was looking for the woman who was locked in his basement deep down a well. So I guess this is heroic enough to have a good argument in her favour.

I unfortunately don't remember at what moment she took out her gun in the book.

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The FBI cannot shoot an unarmed man in the back!

Telling Catherine she is 'safe' is standard FBI tactics to calm the hostage.

Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?

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You mean she wasn't supposed to scream. "Holy shît Catherine! We're in deep trouble! Any ideas?"

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

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LOL - That would've been a good line in a spoof.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.

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Also, as good as she was on the shooting range, Clarice is set up all along to be a very sympathetic human being.

It takes a hell of a lot to kill someone, even a nutcase like Bill. Most people who aren't sociopaths themselves would hesitate.

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[deleted]

In the novel, she turned and started firing blindly when she heard the hammer being thumbed back by Gumm, which Harris described as an unmistakable sound. Perhaps Gumm himself was hesitating to fire. He may have been enjoying his cat and mouse game a bit too much. It's also an unnecessary action, since all modern pistols are double action. But all movie makers love those added few seconds of tension that the action adds to the scene.


I disagree with what you are saying, but I will fight to your death for your right to say it;-)

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Wrong. It depends on the circumstances, and the situation in the movie was definitely one of those circumstances where use of deadly force against even an unarmed fleeing felon would be justifiable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleeing_felon_rule

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_v._Garner

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Kill the killer and you don't get any answers... Like where's the girl... Or....

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My goodness. It sounds as if Clarice Starling wasn't a hardened, experienced agent. Punch her for me too....

But wait.

Hear me out. Maybe there's a part of the film which conveys that Clarice is NOT an amazing field officer who is flawlessly proficient in these type of situations whilst in training.

Maybe someone who has seen the film might go out of their way to check it out, ooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Marmaduke can remember what he saw........................................

Yep. That's right! They put a scene early in the film to demonstrate that Clarice does not have significant prowess with hostile field situations. Add to that the fact that Crawford is picking up Bill at a location miles and miles away and the fact that this is a suspense thriller, then your post starts to sound like whiny, ignorant load of crap.

Glasgow's FOREMOST authority Italics = irony. Infer the opposite please.

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The only person i wanted to punch was Buffalo Bill when he was plying the music and dressing up, the combination of that and him killing those girls drove me mad i was like you sick F'ck just get caught and die already.

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"It's game over man, it's game over!!!"

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1. She is new, inexperienced, perhaps newer shot at a person before.
2. Though she suspected the guy was Buffalo Bill, she still didn't have clear evidence he was definitely Bufallo Bill. After hearing the girl at the basement, she became sure.

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That is because you failed to understand that foster is suppost to potray the weak female to show how womens were looked at the time.It is also about feminisn (not todays one )

The scene at the elevator in the beginning?The scene when cops look at her like she is weak and not her place among 'strong' men.


The movie clearly shows this in many place but i guess you are just too big of a fool to see the obvious ;)

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Who here wanted to punch Clarice

God she sucks.

Sounds to me like they should have postponed giving her FBI status.

She was such a joke, just came off as a giggling school girl, I saw no difference between her and Denise Richards from The World is not Enough. Couldn't take her seriously as an FBI agent.


OP, you're killing me! 😂

I agree though that I couldn't take her seriously as an FBI agent (I didn't have a problem with Jodie Foster's performance, as paradoxical as it might sound, but moreso with the character of Clarice).

Also, you know what's funny? In the sequel, Hannibal, Clarice and Hannibal Lecter get together again and by that point Clarice's career has majorly slumped after she shot a person she shouldn't have. lol


Where does fantasy end and reality begin?

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So....are you this inept in social situations or are you just putting on a show?

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