The Talented Mr. Ripley
Composite Score: 83.1
Starring: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, James Rebhorn, Sergio Rubini, and Philip Baker Hall
Director: Anthony Minghella
Writer: Anthony Minghella
Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language, and brief nudity
Box Office: $128.80 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Talented Mr. Ripley is Anthony Minghella’s film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of Tom Ripley, a young man in the 1950s who has yet to achieve anything grand and is sent (by case of mistaken identity) to Italy to retrieve the son of a wealthy New York family and the web of lies he weaves to achieve this and other more sinister goals. It stars Matt Damon as Tom and also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jack Davenport in prominent roles in this star-studded crime thriller about some rather twisted individuals.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
For starters, I’m fairly certain that there’s no character worth rooting for in this film. Ripley is particularly reprehensible as he mooches off of his wealthier acquaintances and lies to everyone’s faces constantly. Jude Law’s Dickie is a womanizer and incredibly inconsistent toward everyone that he befriends and is a trust fund baby to boot. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Marge comes across as overbearing and overly dramatic for most of the film – even though she is often right, you’re never glad for her. Cate Blanchett’s Meredith is aggressively wealthy and not afraid to cop to it (refreshing but not redeeming). Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Freddie is just a jerk – and a generationally wealthy one at that. Jack Davenport’s Peter might be the most redeemable character in the film, but his inability to see who Tom really is even as Marge tries to tell him about it over and over makes him just as frustrating as the rest. All told, it’s not a great cast of characters that parades out in what feels more like a trainwreck that you can’t look away from than a truly redemptive film.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Like I just said, though its characters are nearly irredeemable across the board, The Talented Mr. Ripley is nearly impossible to tear yourself away from once you get started, and that is because of two things: its story and its performances. Without spoiling too much, the film’s story takes you across so many twists and turns, hating and loving characters interchangeably as the narrative progresses, ultimately bringing you to a place of acceptance, though not condonement. Its rich characters and surprisingly engaging thriller elements keep the audience on the edge of their seats as they find themselves rooting both for and against Tom as he falls deeper and deeper into his own web of lies. It’s a brilliant thriller that keeps you engaged so thoroughly with virtually no major action sequences (a small scooter crash and a couple of violent outbursts being the extent of it).
There are four key performances that help ensure that engagement. Obviously, Damon’s Ripley has to work in order for the film to work, and it does. Damon is a recognizable and likeable actor, drawing the audience in just as Ripley does to the Greenleafs, but by the time the credits roll, the audience has a deep-seated hatred for this manipulative human being that he portrays, a testament to just how well he played the character. Paltrow’s Marge enhances the film through her ability to come across as both pitiable and frustratingly dense. The audience feels for her pain and confusion even as they become frustrated with her for continuing to pursue a man who didn’t really treat her right to begin with. Blanchett’s Meredith is the wildcard that makes the film click for me. She comes out swinging with a great portrayal of a character who is from money, wants to get away from money, but can’t quite seem to live without money and who gets herself unwittingly caught up in a plot well beyond her ken in the process – its such a different take from the rest of the film’s characters that she feels like a breath of fresh air. Finally, Jude Law sells Dickie Greenleaf as the ideal millionaire playboy of the 1950s, passionate about a few hobbies, involved with many women, and completely disinterested in everything after too long – his performance received an Oscar nomination that I feel was relatively deserved for its simply spot-on portrayal.
Carried by its strong performers and an engrossing plot, The Talented Mr. Ripley has become a classic crime thriller that keeps you on edge until the very end of what is undoubtedly one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its characters are entirely unlovable, their undeniably great casting and the ways that they make you dislike them makes this a film worth watching. It is currently available to stream via a Showtime subscription or to rent on most streaming platforms if you are looking for it.
