Talented Mr. Ripley, The

http://www.film.com/film-review/1999/13081/98/default-review.html

A Movie for Grown-Ups  |   Ernest Hardy


Midway through The Talented Mr. Ripley, a scene abruptly shifts the
film's primary focus, cranks the tension and routes the film to a
much darker place emotionally and psychologically. These transitions
hinge on an act of violence so horrific that it's hard to watch. But
this is also the scene that cinches the fact that Matt Damon, as Tom
Ripley, has turned in a sterling performance -- one of the year's
best. Ripley is a desperate sycophant who's never really likeable
but who's quite pitiable. Up to this point, Damon has perfectly
captured the clammy, mousy aspect of his character; he's conveyed --
from the inside out -- that this is a man who feels like he barely
exists, who hates his life but wears a tight smile to cover up his
misery. In this particular scene, though, we see the sycophant's
rage when the object of his affection dismisses him; we see the
roiling insecurities slowly explode. But we also see the unbearable
heartbreak of having what appears to be an only chance at happiness
evaporate. It's right at the moment that Ripley turns monstrous,
commits a monstrous act, that Damon makes us feel most deeply for
him.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a lushly mounted, vibrant tale of class,
sexual ambiguity and a longing that binds the two. Tom Ripley is a
poor man struggling to carve out a life in New York when fate and
mistaken identity (and his many gifts for fakery) steer him into the
realm of high society to which he's dreamed of belonging. He's given
the assignment of bringing Dickie (Jude Law), a wayward playboy son,
back to the U.S. by Dickie's wealthy father. But while spending time
with Dickie and his writer girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) in
various glamorous Italian resorts, Tom is seduced by the couple and
their lifestyle. In fact, when he's momentarily allowed to wear the
freedom of privilege, it loosens his own sexual desires; he falls
in love with Dickie, with disastrous results.

Directed and written by Anthony Minghella (who adapted the
screenplay from a novel by Patricia Highsmith), The Talented Mr.
Ripley is a purposeful visual feast. The attention to detail (the
casual sloppiness of the wealthy; the startling beauty of the villas,
cars and clothing that belong to Dickie and his upper-crust friends;
the contrast of Tom's pale body with the tans of Dickie and Marge) is
also a subtle critique of surfaces -- what they hide, what they
cannot hide, how easy they are to mimic, but how difficult it is to
really attain the status and privileges that they advertise.
Minghella has crafted a superb, tense psychological thriller (and the
movie fairly hums with sexual and class tension long before any blood
is shed) that is also deeply moving. That emotional power is largely
drawn from the strong performances of the cast: Paltrow's lovely, sad
Marge who bears the indignities heaped upon her by Dickie, only to be
left with a grief that nearly drives her mad; Cate Blanchett's
flighty, love-struck society girl; Philip Seymour Hoffman's comedic
lout; Jude Law as the spoiled but charismatic object of many
affections. And Damon's excellent turn at the center of it all.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a dark film that raises more questions
than it answers -- and it's meant to. It leaves the audience with a
strong aftertaste of sadness. But it's also smart, insightful and
provocative. It's a movie for grown-ups.