THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY

Review by Ed Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly (www.nuvo-online.com)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movies/titles/talented_mr_ripley/click.php?review=0


Combining beautiful people in glorious, exotic locales with a lurid
tale of duplicity and murder, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is the big
screen equivalent of the thick paperback thrillers so popular with
vacationers. Like most of those novels, the film is also a bit
overstuffed, but that's easy to forgive. With this well-acted,
wonderfully textured work, director Anthony Minghella ("The English
Patient") has crafted a wicked psychological study that would do
Hitchcock proud.

Based on the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith, the film centers on
Thomas Ripley (Matt Damon), an ambitious, facile young man who
envies the lush lifestyle of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), an
American expatriate lolling around Italy with his girlfriend, Marge
(Gwyneth Paltrow), so much that he decides to take over his identity.
by any means necessary.

Tom Ripley's fractured journey begins in New York City, when
industrialist Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn) mistakes the
impoverished young piano player for a classmate of his wayward son.
He offers to fund Tom on a trip to convince Dickie to return home.

Ripley soon finds himself in a wonderland of beaches, villas, trendy
clubs and an air of privilege. In short order, he ingratiates
himself with the handsome, charismatic Dickie, furthering the
bonding process by revealing his "mission" to the urbane layabout.
Now operating as a "double agent," Tom writes encouraging letters to
the senior Greenleaf, while spending the father's money knocking
about the country with his son.

All is well until the relationship begins to fray. Dickie tends to
aim his full attention toward the latest arrival to his social
circle, giving scant time to those who have been around longer.
Ripley soon finds that he is no longer the flavor of the day. Rather
than an intriguing newcomer, he is now perceived as a hanger-on. As
if this isn't bad enough, Dickie reacts negatively to Tom's quasi-
erotic advances. While on an out-of-town holiday with Dickie, the
calculating young Ripley strikes out. His plan is to lay low in
various Italian cities, using forged letters and his skills as a
mimic to co-opt Dickie's identity. The scheme is clearly a house of
cards, but then again, Tom Ripley is a very resourceful man.

In Patricia Highsmith's novel (the first of a series of books on the
character), Ripley is a flat-out sociopath. A large part of the
story's twisted pleasure comes from seeing life through the eyes of
this coldly efficient shark. Minghella changes the tone by giving
Tom a bit of a conscience. He also plays up Ripley's sexuality.
While it was established in the book that Tom was at least bisexual,
if not entirely gay, his sexual orientation was almost irrelevant.
People were just a means to an end and their gender meant little to
this self-absorbed acquisition machine. While I understand why
Minghella felt the need to make the changes, I still prefer Ripley
in his undiluted asexual mode.

But thanks to the immense skills of Matt Damon, the altered Ripley
still works. To emphasize the class differences between Tom and
Dickie, Minghella wanted Damon to initially appear pale and scrawny.
Accordingly, Damon dropped 30+ pounds and stayed in the shadows. His
efforts were successful. When Tom first meets Dickie and Marge,
turning up on the beach in an ill-fitting Speedo, he looks underfed,
out of place and remarkably exposed. Anyone who dismissed Matt Damon
as just another Hollywood pretty boy will learn better here - Damon
is the genuine article; an accomplished actor who will do whatever
it takes to make his character credible. He is extraordinary, deftly
playing his wholesome good looks against an ever-darkening persona
in one of the year's best performances.

Jude Law is his match as the magnetic Dickie Greenleaf. He totally
captures the spirit of the character; a tempestuous, supremely
confident dilettante who perceives himself as the real thing. It's
easy to understand why Marge and Tom would be drawn to this
smoldering young firebrand. While Gwyneth Paltrow has far less to
do, she acquits herself nicely as Marge, who is far more assertive
here than in the book.

Anthony Minghella does a masterful job with his exceptional cast
and stunning Italian locations, creating an alluring sense of
bohemian abandon. After watching the film, I was ready to hop the
next plane to Italy and hang out with these people, even if it
meant maneuvering around the dangerous Mr. Ripley. Minghella uses
the radiant settings to maximum effect - the darkest moment of the
story takes place in bright sunlight, which makes its impact even
stronger.

While the mechanics of the film's last act play better in the book
than onscreen, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" still packs a considerable
punch. At two hours and 20 minutes, the film is a bit longer than
it needs to be, but Anthony Minghella's sprawling creation remains
one of the most captivating, and chilling, character studies to
come along in quite a while. So skillful and seductive is the
portrayal of Tom Ripley that you find yourself hoping he'll get
away with his crimes. Now that's truly disturbing.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude
Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, James
Rebhorn, Sergio Rubini, Philip Baker Hall, Celia Weston, Rosario
Fiorello, Stefania Rocca, Ivano Marescotti, Anna Longhi, Alessandro
Fabrizi, Lisa Eichhorn. Written by Anthony Minghella, based on the
novel by Patricia Highsmith. Directed by Anthony Minghella. 139
minutes. Rated R, 4 stars (out of five stars)

Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com
Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott
To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription
requests to [e-mail] or e-mail
[e-mail] with the word "subscribe" in the
subject line.

c 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott