‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1999) was director Anthony Minghella's follow up to the hugely acclaimed ‘The English Patient’. Because of this, I very nearly missed it. I LOATHED ‘The English Patient’ both as a book and a film and couldn’t think of Minghella without being reminded of the hours of utter boredom I’d been subjected to by his last effort (though not his fault – what CAN you do with a story as thin as that except put a couple of beautiful people in the frame and photograph them beautifully?).
I was dragged along to TTMR by a friend, and how very glad I was. It is absolutely superb.
Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, it’s a story of adultery, impersonation, murder and deception that delves deep into life’s ugly underbelly.
The film stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Jude Law, three fine examples of gorgeousness who are filmed
against the equally prepossessing backdrops of Italian villages, towns and cities. This relentless beauty contrasts brilliantly with the emotions and desires that drive the film, i.e. jealousy, insecurity, anger, bitterness, greed and homicidal lust.
The Story =========
Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is a loner-loser who is sent by a rich businessman to find and bring back to New York his son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). Dickie is wayward to say the least, and is living a life of decadence and ennui in Europe with his beautiful and devoted girlfriend (Paltrow).
Ripley is charmed and impressed by Greenleaf and his girlfriend, who condescendingly find Ripley amusing and are very glad to have someone new (often to laugh at) in their superficial lives. They take him on as their pet project and proceed to show him the high-life in all its empty grandeur. In turn, Ripley becomes obsessed with the pair, especially Greenleaf, and clings to them like a leech.
When they then grow tired of his company, Ripley’s unstable psyche cannot handle the rejection. Without spoiling the plot, I will only reveal that Ripley commits more than one murder and one major deception to enable himself to remain in his new found luxurious lifestyle.
What follows is as suspenseful a film as you can get, with tightly-plotted twists and turns and near-discoveries in abundance.
The Actors ==========
Jude Law excels as the ferociously handsome and capricious Dickie Greenleaf, giving him an arrogance combined with boyish charm that makes him irresistible. It is easy to see why Paltrow loves him, and why Ripley wants to BE him. There are also undercurrents of homo-erotica in Ripley’s feelings for Greenleaf which are beautifully played down whilst still being clearly there.
Damon is also excellent as the deeply troubled, friendless, unworthy working-class young man who is suddenly landed in a social milieu he has never even dreamed of. He manages to give Ripley just the right amounts of buffoonery, confusion and sometimes creepiness that lets us know from the outset that he’s not quite all there and that Greenleaf and Marge are taking a risk by picking up and dropping him so coldly.
Paltrow as Marge, Dickie’s girlfriend, is equally good and graceful. She is the perfect mirror of Law, and the pair make a highly engaging couple of sophisticates.
Elsewhere pops up Cate Blanchett as an American deb on the Grand Tour, who’s appearances become increasingly important to the suspenseful plot. Mention must go, too, to Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles, the loud, debauched friend of Dickie’s.
Verdict =======
TTMR is film-making of the highest order: An excellent script delivered by superb actors, and filmed with the attention to detail and awareness of beauty you would expect from Minghella.
I was thoroughly drawn into this film and found it compelling on many levels. It is an intelligent exploration of the abnormal psyche, a social commentary on the emptiness of the rich existence, and a fine thriller that will have you one the edge of your seat.
Very very highly recommended!
Running Time 130 mins.
Note for film buffs: TTMR was first filmed many years earlier as ‘Plein Soleil’ starring Alain Delon.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
"I feel like I've been handed a new life", says Tom Ripley at a crucial turning point of ... more
this well-cast, stylishly crafted psychological thriller. And indeed he has, because the devious, impoverished Ripley (played with subtle depth by Matt Damon) has ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Honoured with five Academy Award nominations including Best Supporting Actor Jude Law and ... more
Best Adapted Screenplay, this suspense-filled thriller features memorable performances from Oscar winning stars Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) and Gwyneth Paltrow...
To be young and carefree amid the blue waters and idyllic landscape of sun-drenched Italy ... more
in the late 1950s; that's la dolce vita Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) craves - and Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) leads. When Dickie's father a wealthy ship builder asks...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Great actors given meaty roles and plenty of screen-time, Mann's trademark visual style, intensely dramatic in parts Disadvantages: Altering the outcome to the opposite of what really happened was a strange move, the 151-minute running time
EnglishPatient 01.02.2001 (01.02.2001)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Insider (DVD)
Are you the manufacturer / provider of The Talented Mr Ripley (DVD)? Click here
![The Talented Mr Ripley [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78525174.jpg "The Talented Mr Ripley [DVD] [2000]")
Jan 11th, 2002
very helpful by (100%):
