The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999 Directed by Anthony Minghella
Synopsis
It's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.
Tom Ripley is a charismatic sociopath who makes his way in mid-'50s New York as a rest room attendant and pianist. His skill however is in impersonating other people, forging handwriting and running second-rate scams. Unhappy with his own life, he kills and takes on the persona of somebody else.
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It may not be fashionable to like this film-- Minghella has a rep (in cinema, anyway) as the embodiment of middlebrow, and he twists Highsmith's book in a heretical direction w/r/t the Ripley character-- but I continue to think it brilliant up and down. Perfectly cast, gorgeous as travelogue, at once suspenseful and wrenching. Damon's career has been all about shapeshifting men in search of their identity, and this remains the role of a lifetime for him.
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I prefer the original film Purple Noon, but this remake is almost just as amazing. Matt Damon gives his best performance as the complex and disturbing Tom Ripley. You also get terrific supporting performances from the likes of Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Cate Blanchett. The direction is excellent with some brilliant shots. The suspense is well paced and pulse pounding. The location of Italy looks absolutely beautiful. The film itself is darkly beautiful thanks to the stunning cinematography. The story is captivating, compelling, complex, and keeps you guessing what will happen next until the very end. The jazz soundtrack is fantastic. This intriguing psychological thriller is, in my opinion, a thrilling and beautiful gem in the cinematic grapevine.
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"The only thing that looks like Dickie... is you."
An absolutely gorgeous adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, beautifully mastered by the late Anthony Mingella (The English Patient) and boasting an argubly career best performance by Matt Damon.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is as delectable as it is unnerving, Minghella's approach to this little thriller is a vice-like tight direction that is incredibly slow- burn but is slightly dosed with a streak of dark humour. This little neat trick cleverly fools the viewer into sympathising completely with Tom Ripley despite his insidious plan to create his life out of someone else. Matt Damon is phenomenal in the lead, oozing a child-like complexitity and playfulness that masks his inherent maliciousness, obvious…
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Damon can pull off the boyish naive shtick just fine, but doesn't have an ounce of menace in his being making his portrayal of the villain a little lame. Every scene seems to have had it's own dilemma, tensions and resolution which gave the flow of the film a bit of jerky start-stop feel; no doubt an unintended consequence of trying to stay true to the original novel. An extra half star for the depressing ending though.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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An overwrought and transparent adaptation of a superb novel that certainly lacks for subtlety, and is actually at its best when it embraces its own melodramatic ripeness - as in the delightful brief appearances of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
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It may not be fashionable to like this film-- Minghella has a rep (in cinema, anyway) as the embodiment of middlebrow, and he twists Highsmith's book in a heretical direction w/r/t the Ripley character-- but I continue to think it brilliant up and down. Perfectly cast, gorgeous as travelogue, at once suspenseful and wrenching. Damon's career has been all about shapeshifting men in search of their identity, and this remains the role of a lifetime for him.
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Unbelievably great performances from the entire cast of Damon, Paltrow, Law, Blanchett, and Hoffman. The chemistry amongst these five actors and their characters is fantastic. I've really fallen in love with this film over the years with repeat viewings.
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"The only thing that looks like Dickie... is you."
An absolutely gorgeous adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, beautifully mastered by the late Anthony Mingella (The English Patient) and boasting an argubly career best performance by Matt Damon.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is as delectable as it is unnerving, Minghella's approach to this little thriller is a vice-like tight direction that is incredibly slow- burn but is slightly dosed with a streak of dark humour. This little neat trick cleverly fools the viewer into sympathising completely with Tom Ripley despite his insidious plan to create his life out of someone else. Matt Damon is phenomenal in the lead, oozing a child-like complexitity and playfulness that masks his inherent maliciousness, obvious…
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Pretty surfaces. More literal than I remembered.
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Terrific movie, jude law is excellent and the tu vo fa l'mericano scene is definitely worth a watch
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There is something specifically beautiful about this film when you watch it. It doesn't feel like a film that came out the same year as The Matrix or Phantom Menace, it doesn't feel like it can be pinned down to a year really. It just holds its own as a great story.
When you see two men meet who really don't like they're present point in life, and do what they can to change it. They reveal it differently at different times, but Tom and Dickie are more alike than either of them realize. Both doing things that they lock in the basement, turning the guilty energy into things that usually wind up much more sinister.
But this is Tom…
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One of those movies where all the pieces seem to fit, but maybe too cleanly. It just ever really catches fire.
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A great book made into a great film. Jason Bourne does some proper acting as the titular psycho, it's fun to watch him develop into a raving, murderous monster. The best thing about this film is the scenery though, lots of lovely shots of the Italian coast and plenty of Venice.
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suspense