Sly twists make 'Ripley' a wild -- and dark -- ride

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By Rene Rodriguez
The Miami Herald
Published: Thursday, December 23, 1999


The Talented Mr. Ripley is not just the sleek, high-toned thriller
it appears to be. The movie delivers all the expected moments of
high suspense -- including one nerve-racking scene, involving a
shaving razor hidden in a bathrobe pocket, that is worthy of
Hitchcock. But director Anthony Minghella, in his first outing
since The English Patient, is gunning for a lot more than popcorn
entertainment here. He is less interested in pleasing his audience
than with confronting the need people often feel -- whether out of
shame, envy or low self-esteem -- to reinvent themselves to the
outside world.

This, as you can imagine, does not make for a very upbeat film. But
as thematically dark as it gets, The Talented Mr. Ripley still makes
for the best lump of coal you'll find in your holiday stocking. The
first half of the film seduces the viewer in devilishly sly fashion,
hinting at a familiar formula that never quite materializes. Matt
Damon stars as Tom Ripley, a nearly destitute loner working as a
bathroom attendant in late 1950s New York. Through a chance
conversation, Tom is hired by a wealthy shipbuilder to go to Italy
and convince his hedonistic son Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) to return
to America.

IDYLLIC LIFE

Passing himself off as a former college buddy, Tom ingratiates himself
into the lives of Dickie and his fiancee Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), who
are leading an idyllic life in the sun-dappled seaside village of
Mongibello. Surprisingly, Tom reveals his secret mission to Dickie
almost immediately, which only helps strengthen their budding
friendship. Marge, too, takes a strong liking to the well-mannered,
easygoing stranger, the kind of instantly approachable guy people find
it easy to confide in.

Tom is so upfront about things that when Dickie asks him what he's
good at, Tom replies, "Forging signatures, telling lies and
impersonating almost anybody." Unfortunately, Dickie doesn't pay as
much attention to that answer as he should. If you're familiar with
Highsmith's novel (or Purple Noon, the 1960 French adaptation of the
same book, which starred Alain Delon), then you know where this story
is headed.

If all you know about The Talented Mr. Ripley are its coming
attractions trailers, then it might be best to stop reading here.
Suffice to say that by the time the movie reveals its true nature,
the viewer is already hopelessly snared, and you're left with no
choice but to go along for the unsettling ride.

DESPERATE OUTSIDERS

(Warning: Some mild plot spoilers follow.) The casting of Damon (Good
Will Hunting) is the most crucial element in the success of The
Talented Mr. Ripley. Although we're told very little about Tom's
background, Damon's winning, all-American persona instantly makes the
character sympathetic. Minghella has taken liberties with Highsmith's
book to ensure that sympathy, making Tom less Machiavellian and even
giving him a conscience. Even after he's revealed to be a sociopath --
and his grand-scale deceit has turned deadly -- Tom remains a
strangely poignant figure, a perpetual outsider desperate to be let
in, and willing to do anything to achieve it.

Minghella also does what Highsmith and Purple Noon, because of the
time they were created, could not: He amps up the story's homoerotic
subtexts, leaving no doubt as to what (or who) Tom really yearns for.
The impossibility of his desire heightens the character's tragic
dimensions, and Damon, in a finely shaded performance that is bound
to be labeled as "risky," reveals an entirely new level of acting
talent, suggesting he's capable of a lot more than anyone suspected.

The supporting performances are just as good. Law (eXistenZ) tears
into the part of the swaggering, womanizing Dickie with charming
gusto: He make the character's snobbery likable. Paltrow, stuck on
the sidelines for much of the movie, leavens Marge's porcelain
vulnerability with a steely strength.

SMALLER ROLES

In smaller roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman (as one of Dickie's smug
blueblood pals) and Cate Blanchett (as an American tourist who
befriends Tom) register strongly, adding new complications to Tom's
increasingly tense dilemma. Sergio Rubini is terrific as a
suspicious Italian police detective who isn't as easily duped by
Tom's smooth delivery as everyone else.

Minghella and cinematographer John Seale have given The Talented Mr.
Ripley a gorgeous, romantic glow: This is the best-looking movie of
the year, taking equal advantage of both its picturesque Italian
locations and its cast's glamorous movie-star power. Even though the
plot's machinations become a bit belabored in the movie's second
half, Minghella always keeps his eye firmly trained on the story's
fascinating subtexts, right up until the haunting, no-exit finale.

Despite its genre trappings, The Talented Mr. Ripley is ultimately
about the need to reinvent oneself as a way of dealing with a less-
than-ideal reality. In this era of computer culture, talk show
confessions and public figures desperate to preserve their image,
that subject seems more timely than Highsmith could have ever
imagined.