The Talented Mr. Ripley (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Some men long to be rich & famous; some want to 'matter'; some desire flashy cars, pretty wives & tons of $$. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) longed to steal identities. He'd rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody {fascinating}. For the 1st half of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (directed by Anthony Minghella), Tom appears to be a normal - if insecure - young man. Through a series of small deceptions, he travels to Italy & sneaks his way into Dickie Greenleaf's (Jude Law) social circle; meeting him & Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) as they lounge on a beach, soaking up the sun by day & partying in 1950's Jazz clubs by night. Sent on a mission by Dickie's father to persuade the spoiled millionaire playboy to come back to America, Tom finds Dickie & his lifestyle to be so appealing that the mission goes on the backburner for a while.
Things go well for Tom, Dickie & Marge until Dickie's suspicious pal, Freddie (Philip Seymour Hoffman) shows up. Freddie brings some light to the weird threesome situation at hand, and Dickie realizes how odd Tom really is. He's basically "over" Tom. However, having fallen for Dickie and/or his lifestyle, Tom isn't going to go down without a fight -- and that's exactly what the plot comes to. A character is murdered. And Tom is forced to put 3 of his most cunning talents to work (forging, lying, impersonations). With Dickie 'missing', Tom works a sort of human-scale chess match with everyone he encounters. He must convince Marge & her artistic friend, Peter (a great Jack Davenport), that Dickie has left her. He must convince the Italian police that he isn't Tom Ripley. And he must convince an acquaintance named Meredith (Cate Blanchett) that he IS Dickie Greenleaf. Using improvisation skills, the art of duplicity, & lightning-quick thinking under pressure … just how long can Tom keep us this charade? Chilling stuff.
An inherently intriguing concept in this movie is the idea that a manipulative killer could actually feel remorse for the crimes he's committed. He's not some deranged lunatic, but a tragic individual whose flaws prevent him from becoming his own person. We see things through his eyes. So while he's no protagonist, we DO go along on his ride; almost as co-conspirators. At the root of it all, I think we all can admit (at some point in our lives) that we've lied our way into a desired situation; even when we know it was either wrong to do, or could be damaging to yourself or others. Whatever his motivations for lying (improving his place in society, sexual identity confusion), if you really think about it long enough, it's quite haunting.
From top to bottom, the performances are strong. Matt Damon is excellent at getting under our skin. As Tom, Damon is suitable boring. As Dickie, he is lively. But Damon is at his creepy best during Tom's lonely, twisted moments. Jude Law is fantastic as charismatic Dickie, a man we'd all wish we could be; yet loathe when we see his true colors. Gwyneth Paltrow is solid as the girlfriend who stands by her man; even when she knows he's the ultimate heartbreaker. Cate Blanchett manages to be captivating even in a small, yet substantial role. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is quite the scene-stealer as the uppity Freddie.
'The Talented Mr. Ripley' is viscerally shocking, at times. And the film's emotional impact is more internal than external -- you'll actually feel more creeped out than anything else (especially given the wonderfully unsettling ending). The movie also has its share of suspenseful moments. i.e., a sequence involving an apartment, a landlady, the Italian police, & someone who knows the real Dickie. Tom has to improvise in this situation immediately or else he'd be caught for sure. This is an intelligent thriller & a good study of a sociopath's progress. It is dark, offers multi-faceted characters & is beautifully shot (with gorgeous Italian locales & lavish production design). Like Anthony Minghella's English Patient, it could be a bit shorter & tighter {especially ¾ of the way through}. Still, what a fantastic, well-made, watchable piece of cinema this is.
Things go well for Tom, Dickie & Marge until Dickie's suspicious pal, Freddie (Philip Seymour Hoffman) shows up. Freddie brings some light to the weird threesome situation at hand, and Dickie realizes how odd Tom really is. He's basically "over" Tom. However, having fallen for Dickie and/or his lifestyle, Tom isn't going to go down without a fight -- and that's exactly what the plot comes to. A character is murdered. And Tom is forced to put 3 of his most cunning talents to work (forging, lying, impersonations). With Dickie 'missing', Tom works a sort of human-scale chess match with everyone he encounters. He must convince Marge & her artistic friend, Peter (a great Jack Davenport), that Dickie has left her. He must convince the Italian police that he isn't Tom Ripley. And he must convince an acquaintance named Meredith (Cate Blanchett) that he IS Dickie Greenleaf. Using improvisation skills, the art of duplicity, & lightning-quick thinking under pressure … just how long can Tom keep us this charade? Chilling stuff.
An inherently intriguing concept in this movie is the idea that a manipulative killer could actually feel remorse for the crimes he's committed. He's not some deranged lunatic, but a tragic individual whose flaws prevent him from becoming his own person. We see things through his eyes. So while he's no protagonist, we DO go along on his ride; almost as co-conspirators. At the root of it all, I think we all can admit (at some point in our lives) that we've lied our way into a desired situation; even when we know it was either wrong to do, or could be damaging to yourself or others. Whatever his motivations for lying (improving his place in society, sexual identity confusion), if you really think about it long enough, it's quite haunting.
From top to bottom, the performances are strong. Matt Damon is excellent at getting under our skin. As Tom, Damon is suitable boring. As Dickie, he is lively. But Damon is at his creepy best during Tom's lonely, twisted moments. Jude Law is fantastic as charismatic Dickie, a man we'd all wish we could be; yet loathe when we see his true colors. Gwyneth Paltrow is solid as the girlfriend who stands by her man; even when she knows he's the ultimate heartbreaker. Cate Blanchett manages to be captivating even in a small, yet substantial role. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is quite the scene-stealer as the uppity Freddie.
'The Talented Mr. Ripley' is viscerally shocking, at times. And the film's emotional impact is more internal than external -- you'll actually feel more creeped out than anything else (especially given the wonderfully unsettling ending). The movie also has its share of suspenseful moments. i.e., a sequence involving an apartment, a landlady, the Italian police, & someone who knows the real Dickie. Tom has to improvise in this situation immediately or else he'd be caught for sure. This is an intelligent thriller & a good study of a sociopath's progress. It is dark, offers multi-faceted characters & is beautifully shot (with gorgeous Italian locales & lavish production design). Like Anthony Minghella's English Patient, it could be a bit shorter & tighter {especially ¾ of the way through}. Still, what a fantastic, well-made, watchable piece of cinema this is.