Published via Ecency

(source: tmdb.org)

Alfred Hitchcock used to say that the best films had to have the strongest villain. Few villains were as strong as Tom Ripley, sociopath that serves as main character in the series of novels by American writer Patricia Highsmith. The first in the series, The Talented Mr. Ripley, was adapted to screen four times. The best known adaptation is Purple Soon, 1960 French film which turned Alain Delon into star, followed by 1999 Hollywood film written and directed by Anthony Minghella.

The plot begins in 1958 America where Tom Ripley (played by Matt Damon), young, impoverished but ambitious young man works as toilet supervisor and makes ends meet by playing piano at weddings and parties for rich elite. He borrows Princeton jacket for one of such occasions, so gets mistaken for former student by shipbuilding magnate Herbert Greenleaf (played by James Rebhorn). Ripley does nothing to correct him, especially after learning why the magnate is interested in him. Greenleaf’s son Dickie (played by Jude Law), former Princeton student, has left to Italy and doesn’t want to return. Ripley is offered 1000 US$ and all travelling expenses paid if he goes there and, using his alleged friendship, talk Dickie into coming back. When Ripley meets Dickie in Italy, he realises why he is reluctant to return to America – as a wealthy and spoiled young man he does nothing other than enjoying beaches, luxurious villas, night clubs, restaurants and hotels with people who belong to the same social circles. Ripley becomes enthusiastic about that way of life and manages to manipulate Dickie and his girlfriend Marge Greenwood (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) into accepting him into their company and allowing him to live at their expense. This idyll, however, is coming to an end when Dickie gets tiresome of Ripley’s company and disturbed with Ripley’s apparent obsession with his rich friend. Ripley is at the end forced to assume Dickie’s identity and take extreme measures to preserve his deception.

Many critics called The Talented Mr. Ripley a “Hitchockian thriller” although the film, at least in the first half, looks more like psychological drama. Minghella, best known for his “Oscar”-winning (and overrated) epic English Patient, pays great attention to detail description of characters and their surrounding, while the proper thriller content like bloodshed, suspense and intrigues gets covered in the second half. Matt Damon, who has gained stardom with Good Will Hunting, at first didn’t look suitable for the role of suave, charming villain, but at the end of the film his boyish looks and seemingly harmless demeanour makes him more menacing. Jude Law is more effective as young rich man whose great physical looks is at sharp contrast with the shallow character. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was at the time building reputation as one of the most formidable character actors of his generation, bring another great performance as Dickie’s more intelligent friend Freddie Miles. Actresses fared much worse in this film – a year after winning “Oscar”, Paltrow plays rather thankless role of a girlfriend who only at the end realise with what kind of men she was dealing with. Cate Blanchett plays another not particularly bright socialite in a role that didn’t exist in literary source and was specifically written for this film. Minghella was more fortunate in using picturesque Italian locations (Rome, Venice, Southern Italy) and The Talented Mr. Ripley can be viewed as some sort of homage to 1950s Italy, at least its picture you could get from Hollywood or Fellini’s films. All those who like period settings would probably enjoy this film.

Minghella, on the other hand, tries a little bit too hard to conform Highsmith’s material to the 1990s notions of “political correctness”, mainly by putting too much emphasis on Ripley’s homosexuality. Unlike Highsmith, which was vague on the issue and considered her character’s sexuality mainly as a tool for manipulations of both men and women, this film considers Ripley’s attraction to men, and especially Dickie, as the main source of his criminality. By having to hide his true nature in those bigoted and intolerant times, Ripley was forced to pretend and deceive, which ultimately led him to fraud and, finally, murder. And, unlike Highsmith, who considered Ripley to be completely amoral, Minghella refuses to treat him as a proper villain and tries to add him redeeming qualities in form of conscience that would ultimately plague him in rather weak and unsatisfying finale. Yet, despite those flaws, good acting, relatively high production quality and likeable period setting would make The Talented Mr. Ripley enjoyable even for audience that doesn’t care much about period thrillers.

RATING: 6/10 (++)