The Talented Mr. Ripley Review
Anthony Minghella's last film (The English Patient) was highly overrated, but when I heard he had a new project with an intriguing premise, I took notice. Thankfully, it's neither boring nor overrated, but rather a chilling mystery that captures your attention. The film begins with a nerdy young man named Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) who is noticed by Mr. Greenleaf. He sees that he attended Princeton the same year as his son Dickie (Jude Law) and actually knew him, so he persuades Tom to go to Europe and bring back his son for $1000. Tom accepts and leaves immediately. When he finds Dickie and his beautiful young girlfriend Marge (Gwyenth Paltrow), he makes it seem like he knew him and they give in. They become good friends, or so it seems, until Dickie becomes a little suspicious of his acts. For example he does uncanny voice impersonations, dresses up in Dickie's clothes, and he basically wants to become closer to him, even be him. Along the way Tom also gets to know Freddie (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the rich girl Meredith. The film soon takes a turn for the better, as Tom becomes pushed out of Dickie's life by Freddie, and ultimately ends up murdering Dickie. This stylish thriller is similar to Hitchcock, in fact they share similar qualities. Ripley's obsession with Dickie reminds me of Jimmy Stewart and KIm Novac's relationship in Vertigo. Both lead characters were greedy and didn't realize how much harm they were doing until the end. Unfortunately Ripley has some problems. The story is rushed too quickly at the beginning and is somewhat absurd at times. Within the first 5 minutes, he agrees to see Dickie, and that is that. I just found it a little strange that the beginning wasn't expanded on more. Also, when I meant that the script was somewhat absurd, I was referring to Ripley's mind. How could anyone be so smart to get away with a complicated crime like this? Even I had trouble keeping up, and it's highly unlike anyone could think up of a scheme like this. It's highly unlogical, that a person can be one step ahead everytime a conflict arises. Aside from that, the film has many enjoyable qualities. I know some people like to see action films and root for the hero, but I for one think villains are a tad bit more interesting. Take Star Wars for example, I find the dark side (Darth Vader and such) to be more interesting and far more exciting to watch on screen. With Ripley, director Anthony Minghella takes the approach of making the villain (Tom Ripley) the main focus in the film. After Dickie was killed, the audience seemed to be more involved with the film, because Ripley was a fascinating character. Sure he is unpleasant, but which villain isn't? The fact that becoming someone, is a imaginative idea, and Minghella exploits it well. Never has nastiness been so pure in a movie, and for that I applaud. Another wonderful aspect is the acting. Jude Law, Matt Damon and Gwyenth Paltrow all deserve Oscar nods as far as I'm concerned. Each character had it's own exquisite features, but Matt Damon was by far the most clever and appealing. Jude Law played a good rich kid, and afterall, he was Ripley's idol. If it hadn't been for his good acting ability, we would have never believed that anyone would want to become him, especially if he was a rich snob, with no talents what so ever, which leads me to the next character, Freddie. Now I know, I may be a little harsh, but I honestly despise Phillip Seymour Hoffman. People are saying how far he has come, but what has he really done? Patch Adams, Flawless? That's nothing to be proud of. I'm disgusted by him, and frankly could care less about him. Luckily he isn't in it much. Gwyenth Platrow however is as good as ever. I actually thought she did better here than she did in Shakespeare In Love. She was that good. Director Anthony Minghella also did an equally notable job. I'm glad he redeemed himself after English Patient, because I was beginning to think that's all he was going to be known for. There's also some fabulous camera shots that are worth taking notice, if you're a hard-core film buff. Good stuff. In the end, I get the sense Tom Ripley dug himself a deeper hole. What once was a simple journey, became a night of living hell for him. No matter how much he tried to cover up Dickie's death, it just made him feel worse, and he knew he had no other choice. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a very intelligent thriller, that isn't simple minded. A must see.
Grade: B+
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