90. Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs)

90. Jodie Foster is one of my favorite actresses. I say this because when discussing Clarice Sterling, arguably the best tough lady of the screen (all of you fans of Ripley, keep in mind I've only seen Alien, not its supposedly superior sequel), you have to have some Foster love there. Otherwise, you'll be distracted by the brilliance of Anthony Hopkins and his Hannibal Lecter or the loom of Buffalo Bill has as Clarice inches ever closer to him or the tautness of Ted Tally's story. Perhaps even that bouncy Howard Shore score will knock you out. So a love of Foster may be required to notice the brilliance of this particular role in her capable, thespian hands.

Clarice Sterling is, like almost every character on this list, more than she seems. Unlike, most characters on this list, however, she lays all of her flaws out on the line. In scenes with Hopkins, she shows what lies beneath "her good bag and cheap shoes. She has incredible bravado. Sketched across Foster's face as she delves further into herself, you can see the changes, the moments where she fleetingly relinquishes control to Hopkins. Unlike most others, I did not see any sexual flare between Clarice and Hannibal, but Foster does allow a bit of friendship, and at the very least, a mutual admiration to spring up between the two of them. The scenes where she is alone aren't nearly as compelling, but still actorly-particularly the scene in the picture above, where she, after stumbling through the darkness of her psyche, has to face the true darkness, the darkness she'd been literally discovering the entire film.

Jodie Foster, despite the fact that she has been rather lax lately in putting out films, has been in a number of fine movies. I'd normally throw together my three favorites of hers (aside from of course Lambs, there would be her small role as a child hooker in Taxi Driver, as well as her daughter on a mission in Contact), but I can't help but recommend the riveting new drama Inside Man, playing in theaters right now. Ignoring this deceptively good film would be a bad way to spend April.