The Talented Mr. Ripley

Anthony Minghella has directed three much acclaimed films in the last 10 years. I think his best was 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. I must admit to never having read Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, but the film is a remarkable achievement that echoes Hitchcock the way few have films have been able to do. I hadn’t watched the film since its initial release, but after revisiting it, I was no less impressed than I was six years ago.

The movie opens with Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) playing piano at a social engagement of the wealthy. Because of a borrowed coat he’s mistaken for a Princeton grad, and a local shipping magnate (James Rebhorn) asks him to travel to Italy to get his son. Ripley is a poor guy, just scraping by, playing concerts and doing odd jobs. Obviously the choice is easy. He goes to track down Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law).

On the voyage over, we get our first glimpse of the way Ripley can lie effectively as Meredith (Cate Blanchett) falls for Ripley’s yarn of how he is Dickie. Once in Italy, Ripley finds Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) and soon befriends them both. He becomes addicted the nice leisurely lives they enjoy. He also falls in love with Dickie. Whether he is a true gay character or a bisexual is never explained (since he has an easy chemistry with Meredith I tend to think the later) but it was a courageous choice to have a character of his persuasion to be the protagonist (anti-hero) of the picture.

Dickie slowly becomes unnerved by Ripley’s fascination with him and at the film’s mid point basically tells him off. Ripley, in a jealous rage kills Dickie, assumes his identity and begins playing a double life. People begin to suspect something is amiss and Dickie’s friend, Freddie Miles (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) confronts Ripley, who murders him. Soon Ripley as Dickie, is suspected of Freddie’s death at the same time he has to end a formative relationship with Meredith (who he ran into in Rome) and keep Marge’s questioning at bay. Somehow he manages to perform this tightrope brilliantly, even as the noose tightens around him.

Much like Hitchcock, Minghella puts you into a despicable character’s mind and makes you feel for him. As the cat and mouse chase goes on you realize you don’t want Ripley to be caught. As his escapes become more and more ingenious, it’s hard not to feel a level of satisfaction.

The film is brilliantly acted. Damon has never given a better performance and I feel he was unjustly snubbed of an Oscar nomination. Both Law and Hoffman also really shine in their supporting roles and the rest of the ensemble play their parts well. Italy has never looked better, the cinematography being lush as a postcard. The music and costumes also really set the place in time.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is by no means a happy movie (or one that is meant to be enjoyed in a traditional sense). It’s very disturbing, bordering on creepy. It will gnaw at your mind for some time after it’s over. But that is to its credit, not a fatal flaw.

**** out of ****