The Talented Mr. Ripley

A Film Review by James Berardinelli

http://www.movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/t/talented.html


The Talented Mr. Ripley is a new film version of Patricia Highsmith's
novel about the exploits of an extremely intelligent, amoral
sociopath. The book has previously been adapted to the motion picture
format in 1960's Purple Noon, a chilling and brilliantly executed
thriller. While this latest interpretation lacks the intensity of
Alain Delon's unforgettable performance and the sheer force of Rene
Clement's direction, it is a solid adaptation that offers a slightly
different view of the lead character. In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom
Ripley (played by Matt Damon) is not the soulless manipulator of
Purple Noon. Instead, he's more of a tragic figure who kills only as
a last resort. It's an interesting take on the character, and, while
it doesn't necessarily agree with Highsmith's Tom, it nevertheless
makes for a reasonably compelling story.

For the first half of the film, which transpires almost entirely in
Italy during the 1950s, Tom appears to be something of a regular,
albeit insecure, young American man. Through a series of deceptions
and masquerades, he manages to insinuate his way into the company of
a young playboy named Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), who is spending
his time and money lounging on beaches and soaking up the atmosphere
in jazz clubs. Tom has been sent to Europe by Dickie's father (James
Rebhorn) to persuade the prodigal son to return home, but the
carefree, wealthy lifestyle is so appealing to Tom that he ignores
his job, and uses the $1000 he is being paid to fund his excursions
with Dickie. Soon, Tom has moved in with Dickie and his girlfriend,
Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), and everything seems to be going smoothly -
that is, until the day when Dickie grows tired of Tom. What follows
from that point is a tale of murder and treachery that has Tom
putting his three talents (forging signatures, telling lies, and
impersonating people) to work for him in a chess match with the
Italian police, a suspicious American (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and
a crack private investigator (Philip Baker Hall).

In attempting to humanize Tom, director Anthony Minghella (The
English Patient) ironically robs the character of much of his
charisma - key elements of his appeal in both Highsmith's novel and
Purple Noon are his coldness and inscrutability. In general, the
American public has rejected films featuring sociopaths as lead
characters (like The Minus Man), so Minghella may have moved to
soften Tom as a way to make him palatable to audiences. The idea of
a manipulative killer who feels remorse for his crimes is an
interesting idea, but there's a problem in the execution, and it
has more to do with the performance than the script.

One aspect of The Talented Mr. Ripley may provoke cries of outrage
from the gay community. In 1992, when Basic Instinct was released,
there was an organized protest because the possible killer was a
bisexual with a live-in lesbian lover. In this film, Tom is clearly
gay or bisexual, and there's no doubt that he harbors homicidal
tendencies. The only thing mitigating against this potentially
negative portrayal is that the film's sympathies are with Tom, and
he is not presented as a conscienceless brute but as a tragic
individual whose flaws trap him in a bad situation. One could even
argue that his first murder is justified (although it's difficult
to rationalize subsequent acts of violence).

Matt Damon is simply not convincing in this role. Not only is his
performance flat, but he is unable to generate any sense of menace.
Damon was obviously cast for his box office potential, but he is
woefully wrong for the part. As the "boy next door", Damon is a
capable actor, but, as a sympathetic sociopath, he's out of his
depth. Oddly, Jude Law, who portrays Dickie, seems to have all the
qualities that would make a good Tom. In fact, there are times when
his cool stare recalls Delon's from Purple Noon. Gwyneth Paltrow,
who is the closest Miramax has to a contract player, is adequate,
but she doesn't have much to do. Ditto for Cate Blanchett in the
part of a debutante who is attracted to Tom. The best performances
are given by the two Philips - Philip Seymour Hoffman and Philip
Baker Hall. The pair of character actors, who are also currently
featured in Magnolia, create memorable personalities despite
limited screen time.

In broad terms, The Talented Mr. Ripley is in the same category as
movies like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, where a psycho befriends
a character before turning murderous. The Talented Mr. Ripley aims a
little higher than most of these cut-and-slash motion pictures,
since the focus is on character interaction and the cat-and-mouse
game Tom plays with the authorities, rather than on cheap thrills.
Despite Damon's weak performance, a running time that's about 15
minutes too long, and a certain over-familiarity of some plot
elements, The Talented Mr. Ripley still manages to be of passable
entertainment value. It's not a great thriller, but, for the most
part, it will hold a viewer's attention.


c 1999 James Berardinelli