I think this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s noir novel is even more interesting than the book itself. The film simply stuns the whirlpool of events, forcing us to watch how quickly a person changes his personality due to the circumstances. Of course, the picture is very different from the work, even some dialogues are made up: for example, the conversation between Ripley and McCaron – it is absolutely different from the book by Patricia Highsmith. Yes, there are moments like Marge's crazy crush on Dickie, his claim that they would get married - although in the novel only Marge had certain feelings for Dickie, they were not a couple, but just good friends. So – such moments do not spoil the tape, but on the contrary, make it more interesting.
On the other hand, the broken sequence of everything that happens in the original novel is a bit confusing. We don't really know who Tom Ripley is. In the story, Ripley kills Greenleaf Jr. just because he wanted to be Dickie. The movie shows a love line. This looks a little ridiculous - because Tom Ripley does not need anyone in life, he is a loner, running through his existence slowly and sluggishly, but he does not succeed in switching to measured walking - so much he strives for a better fate than the one that is prepared for him by fate.
Tom Ripley is a person who is very difficult to understand. In addition to the desire to live a carefree and rich life, his actions are motivated by some other motives, a cloud of thoughts swarms in his head. In this film director Anthony Minghella succeeded. Close-up plans of Matt Damon, who played Ripley, his eyes, in which the whole storm of emotions and feelings is expressed. However, when reading the book, you feel the same feelings as the main character. When watching the movie, unfortunately, this is not the case. But the most important thing is that Tom himself realizes that it is better to really pretend to be someone than to be completely zero. And it may not last long, but it will - the very fact lifts the mood.
I want to celebrate the cast. Matt Damon is a first-class Ripley. Nondescript, in large glasses, a kind of gray mouse, which can not be distinguished in the crowd from other such “mice”. And at the same time - an insidious and cold-blooded killer, even if he regrets what he did.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood. One hundred percent hit in the role. Naive, narrow-minded, acutely experiencing the absence of Dickie, a girl who turned out to be a hostage of not the most pleasant situation.
Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf. As if Patricia Highsmith had painted this image for him. Narcissistic, going away at times into himself, cheerful and at the same time sad, strongly influenced from the outside.
This trio managed to recreate on the screen the very heroes who seemed to come off the pages of the work.
The film does not shine with detailed and unexpected turns, but you can not call it a bad one either.
Dilemma from Dostoevsky - ' Creature I detest or have the right' - in a new European way.
A film about a social psychopath-maniac who for some reason is considered talented, although it seems to me the opposite - all the other main characters are talented in their own way, and not him: the hero Jude Law in the ability to dispose of himself and in the ability to live easily; the heroine - Gwyneth Paltrow - in the ability to love and in insight. The hero of Matt Damon, although masterfully executed by him, apparently deprived of love in childhood, never learned it and therefore suffers from unrequited love and envy her in others.
The plot, although unpleasant in itself, unfolds against the background of impeccable Italian interiors and exteriors, and it must be said that it is replete with turns and keeps on the hook all the time.
Great acting, although not a very pleasant plot,
8 out of 10
The Talented Mr. Ripley is the second adaptation of the 1955 novel by American writer Patricia Highsmith. For the first time, and very successfully, the book was filmed in 1960 by French director René Clément (In the Bright Sun). It's worth watching Anthony Minghella's film, if only to compare it to its French counterpart. I was personally interested to see “how much the Americans have ruined everything” – after all, it is known that remakes are rarely better than the original. However, it turned out that “The Talented Mr. Ripley” can act not only as an element of comparison, but in itself is a good picture.
So, in Minghella's version, Tom Ripley is a tuner, interrupted by playing the piano in various institutions. In New York, he accidentally meets a rich Mr. Greenleaf, who is willing to pay him a lot of money if he tries to bring home his son Dickie, who in Europe enjoys life, idle and spends money parents. Tom Ripley not only doesn’t want to bring Dick home, he’s ready to take his place. At first, the action is quite similar to the action of a French film, but with each minute the difference increases.
Of course, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" doesn't have the French lightness, the grace that imbues the action in "In the Bright Sun." Everything is shown with more thoroughness, in more detail. There are new characters and new details. Suddenly there is a homosexual theme – and just as unexpectedly harmoniously fits into the general outline. Because of this, the story of a calculating fraudster suddenly becomes at the same time a story of tragic love. Not alone. New heroes lead to new traps. But all this talk about the eternal, about the key to the dark past does not cause irritation, does not make the film more sweet or pseudo-psychological, but fills it with some deep personal drama. Not without the Hollywood craving for violence - to look at how much more bloody the key scene.
It is also interesting to compare the cast of both films. If Maurice Renee and Jude Law are quite suitable for one type, and the image of Richard Greenleaf is extremely close in both the French and American versions (the same can be said about Marge), then Matt Damon creates an image completely different from the refined Alain Delon. Perhaps the character of Delon evokes more sympathy, by the end of the film he completely wins the audience. The hero of Damon, initially less attractive, in the course of the development of the action more and more repulsive, even horrifying.
But what unites these two films, made 40 years apart, is the tension that engulfs the viewer in almost every scene. It is achieved by seemingly different means - the rapidity of development in the French "In the bright sun" and the injection of the general atmosphere and the gradual "clenching of the ring" around the hero in the American version, but at the same time both pictures are equally exciting: you want to put the film on pause, or even turn it off, because you are afraid that your nerves simply will not withstand this expectation. It is worth watching both movies for this.
Unfortunately, the wonderful British cinematographer Anthony Minghella passed away quite early. But as a director, he left three unforgettable films for all fans of Cinema - it all began with his success with The English Patient, then there was The Talented Mr. Ripley, around which a decent hype turned around and the tape gained a significant number of fans, and then there was Cold Mountain. And if the first and last tapes I mentioned are war dramas, then “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is a psychological thriller shot in a slow mode, but at the same time having such an atmosphere of fashionability and fear that it is almost impossible to break away from the screen.
It is based on the novel by American writer Patricia Highsmith. Tells the film about the hapless at first glance botanist-glasses Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) it would seem that this stupid-looking guy can? And it turns out that the guy is not a mistake: he has a great criminal talent and he does not shy away from even murder for the sake of his goal, and he has only one motive - envy. He may not need money, but the black heart of Ripley makes him go to crimes only to prove that he deserves more, he is not able to watch the luxurious life of daddy’s son Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), who knows only to relax and have fun with his parent’s money and court his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), for whom he will feel, but this is not love, because Dicky has only one love – and that is him. Poor student Tom Ripley decides to take the place of Dickie, because no one knows where the wind of Dickie’s travels and parties will go, and Tom himself is perfectly able to forge handwriting and voices.
The film does not say that the rich cry too, Tom Ripley will not cynically revenge, trying to discredit Dickie, it is a film about the danger that can befall rich sons, even if the methods of the main enemy (although he called him a friend). Dicks are unusual, you can't dream about this in a dream, but still. The virtuoso of his business, Tom Ripley, forces with breath to follow his manipulations to achieve the main goal. What gives birth to his brilliant head, incomprehensible to the mind, but how to say: The line between genius and madness is very thin. Every step of Ripley is scarier, more and more subconsciously begin to fear this hero Matt Damon (in a quiet pool and devils are found). So carefully and thoughtfully he approaches the goal that goosebumps. You give him credit for the brilliant plan, but it would be better if he worked for the good of the world, or it seems that these terrible people with blood on their hands reach heights.
It would not have been possible to achieve this effect from the picture, if not for the successful casting of actors. Matt Damon, as you can already understand, brought aesthetic pleasure to his game and caused a storm of emotions with his character. If Jason Bourne is called the best role of his career, then Tom Ripley is somewhere very close, because the role is excellent. Jude Law played in the same way. Brilliantly coped with the image of a narcissist and major, did not cause particularly pleasant feelings, but this is how young people who live on the condition of their parents appear. Great with her character and Gwyneth Paltrow. As with Damon, if her role in Shakespeare in Love is considered the best, it’s somewhere close to Marge Sherwood. Selflessly loves Dickie, sincerely friends with the original Tom Ripley and also sincerely hates him and is afraid when she single-handedly tears off his mask.
Recommended to view clearly. Very strong, thought out in all nuances, a dramatic film with an unforgettable atmosphere of a psychological thriller and brilliant acting.
Young American Tom Ripley, an ordinary piano tuner, goes to Europe, thus responding to the urgent request of the owner of a large shipyard. Ripley must at any cost persuade the only offspring of an elderly tycoon to return home - Major Greenfley Jr., who, along with his girlfriend Marge, ruthlessly burns through the fortune of a millionaire daddy in Italy. Acquaintance with the outdoor spender Dickie Greenfly opens up ambitious Ripley unprecedented prospects and provides a unique chance for self-affirmation.
A life of luxury fascinates a poor American, and the hidden vanity of an ambitious adventurer without moral restraints finally finds a way out of the crypt of a stagnant, penniless existence. Having a natural talent for reincarnation, Ripley begins to steal from the handsome Greenfly not only material values - bank accounts, but also his individuality - name, handwriting, manners, character.
The novels of Patricia Highsmith, who in England is considered no less than the heiress of Agatha Christie, have long and willingly been filmed, and film classics, and, moreover, very successfully. In 1951, the then American Alfred Hitchcock filmed Strangers on a Train, in 1977, the German Wim Wenders transferred the American Friend to the screen (the sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley), in 1981, the Frenchman Michel Deville staged Deep Waters ...
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” was perhaps the most coveted novel for cinema, but after the version of another Frenchman René Clément, published under the title “In the Bright Sun” (1959), where the starring role was first shone by a very young Alain Delon, there were no attempts to say something fundamentally new. It took exactly 40 years before Americans dared to update a half-forgotten bestseller, entrusting the restoration to freshly baked Oscar winner Anthony Minghella.
Conscious stylization for the cinema of the 1950s-60s is expressed in the inherent set of duty cults - from luxury yachts, villas on the ocean and fashionable hotels to parties in nightclubs with their "sweet and spicy taste of promiscuity." They bring the film the necessary entourage of retro, but the director does not focus on this, and focuses on the relationship of the characters, where there is a fundamental shift in emphasis.
Unlike Cléman’s version, in which it was about an ambitious plebeian who did not want to put up with a defective social status, Anthony Minghella preferred to highlight the sexual aspect in the experiences of the intriguer-pregnant. As a result, the essence of the narrative changes noticeably: Tom Ripley becomes a slave to his attraction to Dickie Greenfly, which eventually turns the film into a tragic gay story.
As a result of the stunning success of “The English Patient”, Minghell in a sense himself resembled Ripley, since the proposal to film the Highsmith novel followed even before the heap of “Oscars” that fell on the then little-known English director, behind whom there were only a couple of passing comedies: “Sincerely, Madly, Deep” (1991) and “Mr. Miracle” (1993).
After such a triumph, Minghella had to carry on his shoulders a heavy burden of fame and increased attention to his person. This period coincided with the production of the film about Tom Ripley. Risky rejection of revenge in the finale, Minghella, however, the whole film presses on morality, thereby emphasizing the immorality of the wrongly oriented protagonist.
That is why, even despite the sexual incident, the picture involuntarily acquires that undesirable moral teaching that makes it qualitatively old-fashioned. However, this has always been characteristic of Hollywood products, shot with the expectation of receiving the next Oscar. This, most likely, was the intention of the director, who already had the status of not having the right to shoot just another film version of the famous novel.
Mysterious, yearning, secretive, sad, lonely, puzzled, musical, gifted, intelligent, handsome, tender, sensual, haunted, passionate, talented Mr. Ripley.
Tom Ripley. Who is he? Princeton graduate? The son of a millionaire? Jazz lover? Favorite of fate? Or just a talented deceiver who successfully copes with any role?
How accurately the director conveyed the atmosphere of mystery! It seems that the scam is about to be revealed that everyone will find out who this Mr. Ripley really is. But no! With each story, each frame, the viewer is convinced that such heroes do not die. They are called to pass through time and convey the awareness of the ease of being!
Actors play. She's great!! Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow are a great team. It was as if they were living their own lives. It seems that aristocracy is in their blood. Of course, I want to celebrate the main character. I think it’s an incredibly challenging role that Mr. Damon has done well.
Details. Oh, how much this is appreciated in total! The director spared no time on stage to learn Italian, either for a moment at Ripley's house with Dickie's fiancée and razor, or to introduce Tom to jazz at the beginning of the film. All this gives the picture integrity.
I didn't see it in the painting. Perhaps they were, but everything is so well-coordinated - both the game and the pictures - that there is nothing left but to enjoy.
I haven’t written a review in a long time, but this movie really impressed me. 2 hours pass on one breath and do not let go long after the final credits. Unbelievable. Without a doubt, this film can claim to be a masterpiece.
10 out of 10
If only the young man could spin everything back, and especially himself, to the very moment from which it all began. To the other person’s jacket, from which it began.
In general, even Hitchcock's principle - the tension is consistently inflated, despite the fact that the viewer from what is happening on the screen knows who and why, and how, and so on. Bizarrely bends, blurs, layers the interdependence of actions, like a reflection of the face of the killer. Fluctuates, twitches, a gallery of intrigues is disheveled, dotted with fragments of crystal chimes. Criticism of the details - that the young man did something to the hair, and someone else noticed it, already contributes to the narrative. The bloody sculptural head, lying on the floor after someone has cracked his head, provides what is happening, perhaps, and the inspiration of the ancient tragedy.
Is there a warning to the majors who squander their father’s money right and left, and seduce girls with an official bride? Have you hinted to respectable gentlemen that the more you think that your sons’ past can be paid for in money, the more profitable the opportunities for blackmail by savvy and enterprising adventurers? Or is it really a film about a young man who moves away from missing a brother he didn't have?
Gwyneth Paltrow, playing a girl who is looking for a needle with a thread to sew a strap on her bra, and finds a wedding ring ... which her groom promised in life not to remove ... And whose female intuition, as if unassuming, will silence those who check facts before they become facts. Kate Blanchett, which is allowed to drag the hero to the opera, but a slightly noticeable flutter of the corner of her lips is even more attractive ... Matt Damon. Catch him if you can, tell him who he is, if he has any chance of getting lost in his hairstyles and identities, and run away from him if the almost non-pathous allure of Italian interiors cannot escape him!
Matt Damon is a talented actor. His role is Tom Ripley. Tom Ripley is a great actor. His role is a wealthy, independent young man. The true Tom Ripley is hidden from the eyes of the world by a false mask of contentment and satiety. Tom is a great manipulator of reality. His intelligence is a terrible weapon. He directs the surrounding reality. Actors caught in the circle of his theater do not know that their lives are in the wrong hands. And it will end when Tom doesn't have to play the part. When he can live with her.
Three things are important in the film. The script is the basis. Directing is materialization. Installation - framing, serving. The main material of thrillers and dramas are actors. They are tools in the hands of the director, which will touch the strings of the viewer's nerves. Matt Damon is the main instrument. Emotions: contempt, regret, admiration. A man whose weak conscience is enslaved by a remarkable intellect. Tom Ripley wants to be a good man in the eyes of society. His talent is beautiful, the application is morally ugly and technically magnificent. Matt Damon's play is long-range, insightful, has no falsehood and leaves a strong imprint of his screen activity on the cerebral cortex. The second violin I would call Gwyneth Paltrow. On her character, Ripley's activities had the greatest impact. The actress faithfully displayed Tom's imprint on her life. Jude Law is kind of like a story mediator, but on the screen he is long and spectacular. Philip Seymour Hoffman to his shame saw only in the “Hunger Games” and comparing the two characters you understand that they met in real life, would crack each other’s skulls. The image of the image of discord, which indicates the great talent of the actor. I cut out my heart and give it to Cate Blanchett. For me, she is the love of the whole movie. As Damon grinned lightly, I turned into jelly on the couch, drained into a crevice in the field and quickly ran through the basement to the screen. I was fascinated by her image and mentally I turned to Damon: I would be in your place.
On the misfortune of others, happiness cannot be built. Tom Ripley built around himself the illusion of happiness, in which he lost faith. “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is a qualitatively staged story of an evil genius. Viewing will make adjustments to your overall portrait of the human mind.
It is better to pretend to be someone than to be nothing.
Many people know the feeling of jealousy, but sometimes it crosses all boundaries, forcing a person to do terrible things. This film vividly shows the consequences of the uncontrollable feeling of one guy who, entangled in his feelings, in lies, once committed a murder, could not stop.
In the film, we see a guy named Tom, who is nothing, he is smart, yes, quirky, but does not live the life he secretly dreams of. He appears before us a kind of dark horse: mysterious and silent, but notices everything around and draws conclusions. You can give an example of the proverb: "In a quiet pool of devils are found."
One day, Tom receives a tempting offer: to find and persuade the son of a rich uncle to return home. Why not? No one could have imagined that everything would go that far. After meeting and making friends with Dickie, Tom realized that he had come to love him as the brother he had never had, and perhaps not only because he had ambiguous sexual orientation. Tom made him love everything that Dickie loves, he even learned the names of jazz artists and their work.
One day, a random conflict infuriated Tom, jealousy began to play in him with renewed vigor, he did not want to share Dickie with anyone, he had plans for him. And he decided to "show who is the master in the house." Did he kill Dickie intentionally? You can't tell. Rather, it was an accident because Tom himself was in a state of shock not believing what he had done. After that incident, Tom pretended to be Dickie, forged his signature, dressed his things, used his father's money, had the life he'd wanted for so long. A life in which he meant something. At the end of the film, there’s a scene where he says, “Better pretending to be someone than being nobody.” Ripley was really talented: forged signatures, convincingly lied, masterfully played two roles: himself and Dickie, despite the fact that even the police could not expose him. He adapted to all conditions and did everything perfectly. But despite all his talents, he does not cause admiration, respect, or even pity. On the contrary, it seems a nasty leech, which you want to get rid of as soon as possible.
Matt Damon did an excellent job. His play, actions cause strong emotions, which clearly indicates a talented role. I can't imagine anyone in his place. Jude Law didn't go unnoticed either. Or rather, he even more attracted my attention to the monitor, it was interesting to watch his actions. The role of the son of a rich father was successful. A person who does not know what he wants from life, tries everything, but is not interested in anything seriously. As for Gwyneth Paltrow, I can’t say that I liked or remember her very much.
Overall, I liked the film. There is a lot of injustice, even too much. However, not all films are sweet and happy endings. The cruel truth of life is shown: the guilty are not always punishable.
9 out of 10
Welcome to the world of a man depersonalized and ignored by society, but desperate to become someone. Anyone - a laughingstock, a leech, a homosexual, a murderer - but not an empty place. Tom Ripley is not a talentless person, but is it worth using talent for good purposes? The torment of conscience (and were they?) is a small payment for the opportunity to feel significant, necessary, desirable, useful, irreplaceable.
He knows how to rub into trust, sometimes reaching an extreme degree of obsession, he like no other notices the smallest details and details of people’s behavior, has an amazing talent to parody voices and gestures. Falling in love with the ideal of the man he himself desperately dreams of becoming, Tom tries to soak up everything surrounding the hero of his own model of ideal life and goes too far, overwhelmed by an all-consuming desire to be needed.
And then there is the classical model of the development of the behavior of a person who has crossed some dangerous line that should not be crossed: fall after fall, inability to stop, layering problems, mistakes and failures and ... extreme ease in the next forced crossing of that very border. The prospect of losing everything so unexpectedly gained so frightens Ripley that throwing, constant fear of exposure, torment from now on become his whole life. And who says that deep down he doesn’t enjoy it?
The hero, brilliantly played by Matt Damon, is pathetic, disgusting, obsessive, vile, disgusting, but undoubtedly talented. And very unhappy.
America, 1950s. The rich owner of the construction shipyard Greenleaf is dissatisfied with his son Dickie (Jude Law), who, along with his fiancée Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) stuck somewhere in Europe and spends his money there for nothing. One day, at one of the secular parties, Greenleaf Sr. meets a young man named Tom Ripley (Matt Damon). After talking to him, he remains impressed with the boy and offers him a small adventure - Tom goes to Europe, persuades his son to return home and receives a thousand dollars for this. Ripley almost instantly agrees, because for him this amount of money is not extra. After finding Dickie and Marge on one of the beaches of Italy, Tom rubs into their trust, pretending to be a school acquaintance of Greenleaf. Their luxurious and carefree life fascinates Tom, who has always dreamed of getting into high society. Only Dickie's father would know what Mr. Ripley would do to stay in it.
Dramatic and psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. The story behind the book turned out to be so colorful that the expression “Mr. Ripley” became a household name, and the central character himself came out as one of the most striking examples of human obsession. Being complex, dreamy and incredibly vulnerable, Tom will stop at nothing to not lose sight of his crane, even if in the process you have to crush a pair of tits in your hand. He doesn’t care about the future or the consequences, he needs everything here and now. Thomas’s thirst for a better life is so strong that he is willing to work for anyone and do anything to stay close to the elite. Naturally, when it comes to choice, Ripley will sacrifice everything (and everyone) that chance demands of him. This is one of the most interesting details of the script – Ripley has no choice. Due to his iron grip, penetrating character and certain talents that allow him to masterfully understand people (conditionally, his talents are much more practical, but I will call them, for spoiler), Tom can always get away with it. No exceptions because people are secondary to him. He never trades his wealth and recognition for friends. In his eyes, jewelry, paintings, statues, and other jewels matter far more than any human relationship.
A considerable merit in the worthy translation of the novel on the screen belongs to the casting of the film, which was selected extremely successfully. Once again, I pay tribute to Jude Law's ability to reincarnate, because here he is simply unbearable. A womanizer, loud and pretentious, touchy spender - it's all about Dickie. Lowe’s work shows how his thoughts do not stay in one place, moving instantly from one stupid idea to another. Dickie didn’t deserve any of what he has, including Marge’s love (Paltrow played her well, but I can’t say that no one else could do the role better than her), who naively believes that this incompetent will make a good husband.
Although the real star here, of course, Matt Damon. Damon came a long way before he was perceived as a serious actor, and this role came to him in the right time. Matt just played a great fanatical Ripley. He surprisingly accurately conveyed on the screen the behavior of a modest man who slowly descends into the abyss of lies and pretenses, gradually turning into a monster who is unable to control himself. It is worth the episode where he shares with Paltrow reflections on why Dickie is not worthy of her. Honestly, a scene at the level of “Silence of the lambs”, and this déjà vu, you will agree, is not easy to achieve. Meanwhile, the dialogue in the picture is not in last place either. Qualitative interaction between the characters had a good effect on the overall stylistics, as a result of which even Kate Blanchett, who played a small role of Meredith Logue (a reasonable but charmingly smart daughter of the next rich parents), will surely be remembered by the viewer.
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" - an excellent psychological thriller, with a pleasant touch of a detective, which is unlikely to leave indifferent connoisseurs of the genre. I recommend it.
The idea of getting someone else’s wealth, becoming famous and respected in society – hovers, oddly enough, in the minds of many people. Human beings are depraved, both in thought and in action. And when the desire to possess something meaningful has a devastating effect on the brain, like a virus, the inner demonic essence becomes terrible in its manifestations.
Tom Ripley considered himself a nobody, a dummy, dragging on the existence of the elite of New York on the outskirts of real life. Hidden talent and enterprise languished in the aimlessness of life, until fate presented a gift - the opportunity to go to sunny Italy and persuade the prodigal son of a millionaire to return to his father. The thirst for adventure and the search for a new life prompted Ripley to immediately sail to Europe.
The first adaptation of the novel by American writer Patricia Highsmith “The Talented Mr. Ripley” was released in 1960 under the title “In the Bright Sun” (directed by René Clément, starring Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet). The second transfer of the book to film took place in 1999. If the first film repeated the book completely, the second is a slightly different rethinking of the original source.
The new Ripley (Matt Damon) is not only a cunning adventurer, but also a young man with a hidden pathological homosexual attraction. He is so fascinated by the image of Dickie (Jude Law), his life, habits, mannerisms, smell, body, that he is ready to literally dissolve in him. The sex scene of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) on a pleasure yacht causes hidden rage and jealousy to the spoiled young man, and not to the tender girl. Rejection drives Ripley to murder. Love passion along with raging emotions - and paddle scores to death handsome Dickie. The thirst for a new self results in Ripley becoming Dickie. And this is the main difference from the book - unpreparedness, a state of affect, internal fear of loss, and not a pre-planned scenario.
That was director Anthony Minghell’s idea to further dramatize Ripley’s image, sparking the flames that burn his humanity from the inside out. This tone, unfortunately, is very unevenly maintained in the timing of the film. At first - a juicy start, but then the drama and dynamics greatly slow down. Suspicions of a friend, police interrogations - again an attempt to wind up the right atmosphere, but the state from which breath freezes in anticipation of colossal tension - does not happen. The level is rising, but not as much as I would like. Even the nerve-wracking scene with Ripley’s monologue in a white coat, confessing Marge’s love and holding a razor in his pocket, in the final does not give an outlet to emotions. The depth of Fyodor Mikhailovich is lacking.
However, the mechanism is running, the action is captivating. In many ways and due to the delightful shooting of places - the narrow streets of Naples with its special subculture of being; eternally bustling huge Rome, which is so often shown through the square of Spain sandwiched between the houses (an allusion to the narrowing of the circle of investigation); beautiful Venice ... The place gives birth to allegories - Venetian carnival, all people wear masks. They wear a mask to do their business, protect processes, buy fish, make visits. The parallel is obvious.
Venice is a place where literary and film heroes are sent to die. And the ingrown mask is finally ready to turn into a posthumous cast. Dickie. It was there that he officially died for the world. That's where Ripley thought he was done. But the mystery of immortality remains. And as Venice sinks to the bottom of the lagoon each year, Ripley gradually loses his humanity. Morality in him dies, exposing a cold-blooded killer.
The film certainly amazed at the originality of the plot! At the same time, however, it was deeply disappointing, as it looked purely because of two things: Jude Law and being on the list of the top 10 gay love movies (you know what I mean). If Jude Law didn't disappoint, the second component certainly didn't show up.
As mentioned, the story is surprising. Surprising is the cunning and thoughtfulness of the main character. Although Tom Ripley's traits can be found, I think, in most men. Many have this vein, the habit of deceiving, hiding mistresses, a second, or even a third family; however, probably no one has gone so far as the main character, and, moreover, no one could so masterfully pull such a scam!
In general, the picture forced to sit in front of the screen until the end, in the process, no one fell asleep, so the review is good.
In the middle of the last century, from the pen of the original and slightly cynical writer Patricia Highsmith, one of the most unusual, contradictory and charming antiheroes appeared – Thomas Phelps Ripley. As a serial killer and fraudster, he unexpectedly fell in love with the reading public, despite committing the misdeeds and crimes of a classic villain. The secret was that in the works of Highsmith we see the world through the eyes of Ripley himself, live by his feelings, so that what in real life would seem to us a violation of all morals and even the law, from the point of view of the main character seems quite logical, justified and almost the only acceptable variant of events.
Of course, such a tasty piece could not bypass the attention of filmmakers, and in the 1960s René Clément filmed his adaptation of the novel - "In the bright sun" with Alain Delon in the title role. However, the picture turned out to be rather superficial, reducing all the drama of history to the banal appropriation of someone else’s property, and the final was completely changed in favor of moral ethics. Yes, and handsome Delon, by virtue of his attractiveness, was not suitable for the role of a reminiscent pariah capable of changing personalities like gloves.
So Anthony Minghella shot his own, very personal movie, a drama about love-hate, envy and boundless loneliness, where the criminal component is only a tool, a thin lancet that allows you to open the second bottom of the events and characters.
Mat Damon is perfect for the role of the very present Toma Ripley: a simple-looking guy, with the face of a hillbilly and an ingratiating smile, ugly, shy, and often just pathetic, in a poorly-sitting old suit, nobody needed and loved by anyone, he is desperately looking for his place in the world, grabbing any opportunity to break out in people, not disdaining any available means. Only the world in which he recklessly falls in love, used to judge people by the cover, and therefore Ripley is waiting for the fate of being broken and rejected. Is it easy to break someone who has nothing to lose? Ripley puts everything at stake, including his own personality, and right before our eyes the main character gradually removes the usual mask of a naive young man, revealing an iron will and a steel grip, a remarkable mind, cynicism, prudence and criminal talent, and from this transformation the gut gets colder. A small deception breeds a big lie, so it’s no wonder Ripley eventually becomes a killer.
And here's the paradox - such a murderer sympathize much more than somehow affected by his hand protagonists. Tom’s idol is Dickie Greenleaf (probably the best role of Jude Lo in his entire career, since here he apparently played himself), the “sun boy”, not just lucky and rich, but without a doubt beautiful, like a magnet attracting others, that is, the complete antipode of Ripley, in fact turns out to be a superficial and vain egoist, unable to be grateful for all the benefits of the sweet life he received from birth. He easily goes forward, walking around breaking and throwing away people who love him like old toys without even thinking about it.
Another rich slacker Freddie Mace (magnificent in his disgust Philip Seymour Hoffman) is, of course, vile, but not stupid, as it may seem at first. On the contrary, he shows rare insight, immediately noticing Ripley's second nature, but underestimating the full force of his despair and hidden rage.
Marge, Dickie's beloved (Gwyneth Paltrow), undoubtedly a sweet and kind girl, to the last prefers to close his eyes to the obvious, either because of naivety or because of love blindness, not paying attention to the true nature of Dickie - arrogant and empty.
Ripley still meets a good man who managed to see that small piece of beauty left of his twisted, childish soul, which he drove as deep as possible to prevent cracks in his so skillfully erected armor. And this person is not a socialite Meredith (Kate Blanchett), who fell in love with Tom's invented personality, but an Englishman Peter (Jack Davenport), a friend of Marge from among the aristocrats. He sees in Tom his vulnerability, his intelligence, his subtle sense of beauty, and the amazing ability to love truly and without a trace that Dicky and the hypocritical society around him have almost trampled on. But as in any tragedy, the long-awaited meeting occurs too late, when all the bridges have already been burned, and the guise of the bright but insignificant Dickie has become firmly fused with Tom’s personality.
It is no coincidence that the chosen place for the development of the narrative, which here is assigned a special role - sunny, sweet Italy of the 50s, Italy "Dolce vita"Felini and his own "Mother's Sons", combines the eternal, timeless beauty of ancient culture and short-term luxury, as if spilled in the air of subtle eroticism and ostentatious frivolity of being. This is the catalyst that provokes Tom to steal everything beautiful, because for him to love is to possess.
A bright touch of the picture, its memorable feature is music - not just a background, but a separate character, a kind of narrator, completing the placement of the necessary accents. Somewhere the melody softens dark tones, somewhere emphasizes the almost elusive nuances of history. The first half of the film is dominated by playful, turbulent and fickle jazz melodies - Dickie's theme. In the second - opera parts, burning classical music and disturbing, sad, tender overtures of the composer of the film Gabriel Yared - the theme of Tom.
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” is an amazing, deep film, which remained underrated at many major film screenings (most likely due to the obvious homosexual overtones and the uncomfortable disclosure of the theme of individual evil generated by the indifference of society, accustomed to putting material values above spiritual ones). The film is about the seductiveness of crime and the inevitability of punishment, about the beauty of plausible and true, about the difference between “being” and “appearing”. Each of us has ever wanted to be someone else under the influence of envy, contempt or dissatisfaction. Now look at how scary it is.
Young, rather quiet and inconspicuous, beggar and going to his goal at any cost - it's all him, that dangerous man - Mr. Tom Ripley. Yes, really dangerous than talented. By chance, Tom finds himself in the whirlpool of the lives of rich people, flattered by the money offered for a trivial service. He meets a rather charming man Dickie, having thoroughly studied his biography, as well as his pretty girlfriend Marge. The very beginning does not portend any unexpected plot twists, monotonous jazz parties, alcohol, girls ... However, an accidental murder changes Mr. Ripley completely, and he quickly plunges into the abyss of lies and bloody murders, actively using his talents. We are shown two completely different Toms at the beginning and end of the film. Matt Damon had a very difficult task: to portray this vile duplicity. And, I must say, his character attracts to the screen almost immediately, and, after all that happened, there is a certain residue of pity and hatred for him. Do not miss the special attitude of Tom to Dickie, which in the performance of Mr. Damon was at first unaccustomed to observe.
Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) is a pretty disgusting person on closer inspection. The quintessence of arrogance, lies and immorality. Spending his father's money and hating him. But this person is able to make a first impression, which allows you to change the social circle every week.
His girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) is perhaps the only character in the film who is not disgusting. Another unfortunate girl who chose the wrong life partner.
A good friend of Dickie's - Freddie (Philippe Seymour Hoffman) - is also unsympathetic. Snippy and pathetic, deservedly got on the head bust.
It is also worth mentioning another female character, of which there are few in the film - Meredith (Kate Blanchett). One could call her presence insignificant, but it is she who, without knowing it, pushes Tom to commit another crime and increasingly confuses him.
This film evokes the creepy idea that all these two-faced vile people walk right next to us, and the worst thing is that we believe every word they say without knowing who they really are. I can’t say for sure whether I liked the movie or not, but it left a strong impression and made me think about a lot. A powerful and heavy movie about disgusting people.
Sleep, little Cain, return to a world where you were not yet a fratricide, sleep, baby.
"Tom is talented", "Tom is gentle", "Tom is beautiful"...
When someone is snared in front of you, you are filled with pain and shame, but even more terrible, when someone’s soul is snared in front of you, you only want to shout: “Stop, this is terrible pain.”
Scary, lonely and dark. And demons all around. Not only in that terrible place where we hide our secrets, sins, memories, but all over the world. The world is an ice pit full of loneliness, we are born and die alone.
Tom knows it, feels it. In his small world there are friends, acquaintances, but there is no warmth and he is trying to gnaw his place in the sun with his teeth, so he grasps at the proposal of millionaire Mr. Greenleaf to return his son, who walked in Italy, back to America.
To tell this story without spoilers is blasphemous. God accepted Abel’s offering, and what happened next, read for yourself. I will tell this story as it should be told, with detail and meaning. This is a spoiler review.
Poor neighborhood, minimal clothing, Tom is nothing but contemptuous pity. At the airport, he pretends to be Dickie Greenleaf. Even then, he has a desire to take the place of Mr. Green Leaf. But when he meets Dickie himself, when he takes a place next to him, forging an interest in the same jazz compositions, he falls under the charm of this charming scoundrel.
Minghella created a saga about loneliness, love and the thirst for love. Tom doesn't envy Dickie's money, which he doesn't actually have, because his father doesn't supply him. That's why we empathize with Tom, that's the secret of the film, we share his desire to be loved. And in Dickie's world, Tom finally touches a world where he's loved or feels loved. Dickie chose Tom as his new admirer (a series of names of everyone who visited Tom's place will be listed by Dickie Marge's fiancée with the conceit of a person who is sure that unlike the others, she is not threatened with this). Dickie moves through life confidently only when he is loved, because it is a feeling he tries to ignite in everyone along the way - "as if there is no one else for him at this moment, like the sun's warmth." Dickie drags Tom to parties, invites him to the stage, settles in his house.
And Tom can't resist, he falls in love with a friend. Makes unambiguous hints. But although Dickie catches his eye in Tom's mirror, he doesn't stop his adoration. Dickie plays by his own rules and does not want to see that not everyone understands the meaning of his game, reduced to the formula: "If I'm tired of you, disappear." Caressed, he doesn’t understand the crumbs of love thrown from his table. Sylvana's death is not Marge's first or last betrayal. Having achieved a painful adoration from Tom, Dickie is bored and decides to get rid of him. And Tom by any means tries to get at least another drop of heat from his deity.
Jude Law had almost nothing to play - superficial Dickie, who even in the suicide of his mistress finds a reason to feel sorry for himself. Gwyneth Paltrow played beautifully, her character is a girl who closes her eyes to infidelity, but “a patient bird eats a worm”, is disgusted by its authenticity and plausibility. Minghella himself spreads multi-valued visual images - hugging guys, a lonely huge staircase.
"Tom is mysterious..."
Tom doesn't become a lover, he wants to be a brother, just be there for him. Taking advantage of Dickie’s dream, he snuggles up on the train to his “brother”, trying to achieve the coincidence of reflections in the polished door. It's creepy. Not his obsession. It's that you recognize yourself in his behavior, all the lovers in the world. Small symbols - to sit next to you, to squeeze your hand, something that, even for a few minutes, will unite with your beloved. But Dickie is also greedy for love, he just doesn't give anything in return. He arranges a farewell tour for Tom, like a lapdog that they want to put to sleep, and then, having mocked him, says "adyu", not realizing that he has already driven Tom to despair and he will kill, just to squeeze the cooling body of someone who can no longer push him away. In a "farewell letter" Tom will write the words he wanted to hear.
"Tom is hiding something." He has nightmares and it's bad.
If your brother loved you, little Cain... If only he would let you share his joys with him...
From this point on, the film is divided into two parts: a thriller (Tom tries to hide the traces of a crime and silences possible accusers, including Marge) and a drama that will resonate with most people, because almost everyone has been in a situation where you were forced to love, not going to respond to feelings. Yes, damn it, that's what all social relationships are built on - eternal flirtation, where the loser is the one who loves the most.
I am not interested in spoiling the thriller part, it is beautiful, adrenaline, but not the main one. From the thriller Highsmith Minghella made the deepest drama. Tom himself becomes Dickie, calls himself by his name, has an affair with a rich girl Meredith. By killing a dragon, the hero becomes a dragon. But even with Meredith Dickie-Tom, Tom is still a lover of classical music, philosophers, and soulful conversations. A man who will leave behind a memory, but will not break his heart.
The chilling scene in the opera, where after meeting Marge, Dickie-Tom, in a couple of moments, becomes different from the overconfident guy, dons a worn mask of a dulled piano tuner.
"Somebody loves Tom" ...
And then he meets Peter, another victim of Dickie's name, Marge. Two frozen animals, burned once by the sun, and now deprived of their sun. But Tom has changed since then, and his feelings are more mature and deeper. Two animals will clog into the cave, where they can finally warm each other and, even if the sun returns, they will not need it, they will already be warm.
"Tom strangles me..."
Peter will sing Cain a lullaby. The last lullaby. Sleep, Tom, you're loved. We love you because you are who you are. Give me the key, little Cain, let me fight your demons. Cain will interrupt this song with his own hands. That will be his punishment. For ages.
Few people are capable of loving. Most people demand someone else’s love, but are unable to share theirs. That's why the world is so cold and empty, everyone takes care of their own warmth and seeks to steal a bit of someone else's. Tom (I can't believe he's an actor, not a character) knew how to love, that was his talent. And his curse.
And the seal of shame is eternal on his forehead.
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” is a film based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, directed by Anthony Minghella.
The plot tells us about a young man working as a piano tuner. It is quite impossible to see him in a crowd of people, dressed simply, Tom Ripley's clothes have long worn out; but he is not a kind fellow who ate makes ends meet, but continues to enjoy life as it might seem. This is a person who can do a lot to achieve his goals.
One day, one of the richest men in America gives Tom an assignment to go to Italy and convince his son, who spends money in Europe, to return to the States. Fulfilling the errand of a rich man, Ripley arrives in the small Italian town of Mongibello, where the son of that man stayed. After a while, the brutal Ripley Game begins.
The picture is a bit different from the book, but these are just a few details. For example, everything Tom did after he met Dickie Greenleaf was pre-planned in the book, and Anthony Minghella’s picture was improvised. In the film, we know almost nothing about Tom Ripley's past; in Highsmith's novel, we know a little more. Tom had friends if I could say that, etc. But these are only minor, small details that could quite possibly spoil the film, change the whole concept of Minghella.
Previously, a film about Ripley was released, that picture was shot by René Clément, and the main role was played by Alain Delon. In the Bright Sun is even more different from Highsmith’s book. But, nevertheless, the film is interesting to watch and at the end the viewer can cheerfully applaud, there is a kind of happy ending, which Patricia does not have.
Looking at the final shots of the picture of Minghella I want to think that now everything will change, the game is over, but most likely Ripley and this time will be able to get away with it.
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” could easily become another story about the passions of tourists in Italy – this genre is popular, especially among English directors. If not for a series of circumstances that turned this picture into one of the most exciting, exciting and beautiful dramas I have ever seen. Not so long ago, the next adventures of Americans in Italian sets seemed to me terribly boring; about “Ripley” you can never say that.
If you believe the articles on the Internet, the primary source is rather the beginning of an adventurous saga, and not a sophisticated psychological story, which turned out to be a film adaptation. Tom Ripley is presented in the book, according to reviewers, a charming villain, while Matt Damon portrayed a much more complex nature. As he himself admits in one of the film’s toughest and strongest moments, he was always honest – even though his whole story is built on lies; he always craved just life, even though it ended up being someone else’s life. This contradiction gives the conflict what I thought was an incredible force. And Damon's handling it brilliantly.
It would be ridiculous to forget about the rest of the casting – just brilliant. Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett shine, eclipsing each other - they have similar not only appearance, but also character traits of their characters. Young Jude Law is like an ancient deity – before I didn’t even understand the secret of his popularity, but now I won’t dispute it: in Ripley he is incredibly beautiful and charming. Although his character, Dickie Greenleaf, does not elicit much sympathy.
In beautiful, detailed scenery – sometimes too beautiful – unfolds intense drama, in which the experiences of the characters are no less important than their actions. And the film is enough of both - more than two hours fly by in one breath, although Minghella always made a rather slow, leisurely movie. Excellent.
Exactly. What does this film want to convey to us? One of those works that leaves the viewer to guess the meaning of the whole action, because the film, despite a large number of events and, at first glance, absolute logical completeness, contains such a huge number of hidden hints and halftones that it is not immediately possible to figure out what will happen. I haven't been able to do that yet, although I've seen it countless times.
So, the main character Tom, brilliantly represented by Matt Damon, a poor guy, accidentally becomes involved in the personal drama of a rich family, the epicenter of which is the son of the head of the family. A typical representative of the golden youth, who is nothing of himself, irresponsible, unable to take anything seriously, unwilling to admit any responsibility, not deprived of pleasant manners, instilled in a good education, obtained thanks to the money of his parents, and not his own abilities, this young handsome man, who thinks himself naturally at least a demigod, actually has only one "achievement" - a rich and prosperous father.
With this character, everything is more or less clear and I do not see in him any hidden talents or qualities that can make him the object of closer examination. The only thing worth noting about him additionally, since this is what played with him in the end an evil and fatal joke is his arrogance and disparaging and consumer attitude towards other people. In a word, it is a dummy, wrapped in a beautiful package.
Tom receives an assignment from Dickie's father to bring him home, for which Dickie's father gives him money to travel to Italy. Arriving there, Tom is looking for Dickie and a kind of friendship is called between them, where Tom sincerely enjoys the company of Dickie and his bride, and Dickie descends to him from the height of his “greatness”.
And then there is a huge number of different events, meetings, acquaintances, incidents, tragedies, crimes ... I don’t know about the others, but for me, Matt’s character in this movie is not a criminal, not a lost soul, not an ambitious villain, and certainly not anything, as he is often called. For me, he is a kind of evil genius, or perhaps even a fallen angel sent to earth for the souls of the wicked. As if Christ returned to earth, he would appear in the form of Prince Myshkin Dostoevsky, so the devil who followed him could easily assume the form of Mr. Ripley.
An evil genius, an affectionate executioner, a weeping murderer, a talented Mr. Ripley ... he had nothing, and in his quest to get what he wanted, he without hesitation stepped over the lives and fates of other people, lied and killed with the same elegance with which he played the piano - beautifully, naturally, passionately, pitying his victims, but bringing them to the altar of all desires, aspirations, ambitions ... He's disgusting! Is he disgusting? Is he disgusting?
Oh no. Through the initially arising feeling of disgust for this character, admiration for this black master of human destinies, this ingenious manipulator, powerfully declares itself of an incomprehensible nature. His victims are idle slackers who believe that the world should revolve around them because of the mere fact of their existence in it, the spoils of fate, in fact far below Matt’s hero. They appear as a kind of faceless gray mass, a bunch of sheep strayed into a herd over which it soars like a bird of prey. And it will determine who will live and who will die, who will avoid a terrible fate, and who will be completely touched by it. All that remains is to tremble and pray...
Do not be afraid of those who do not like to look for some secret meanings in the film, who loves films primarily for an interesting plot, the play of actors, the plot, the unexpected ending. You'll find it all here. The plot is a magnificent and exciting detective line, in which, despite the fact that the perpetrator is known from the beginning, will not let go of tension and intrigue.
The undoubted merits of the film is a beautiful entourage. If you love jazz, you should definitely watch it.
Oh, this is my first review of the film, so please do not judge strictly.
I have heard a lot of positive reviews about this film from friends, many times I saw it on this site in the section ' If you liked this film, don’t miss' and have long wanted to see, but for some reason always postponed and postponed. And then by chance saw ' Good Will Hunting' and so excited and amazed by the magnificent performance of Damon, I decided that it would be nice to watch the tape, which recently flashed before my eyes more and more often. And as it turned out, it was not in vain to look!
'The Talented Mr. Ripley' Minghella shocks, amazes, delights, makes you cry and admire, first of all, the magnificent acting of actors, the breathtaking views of Italy, the beautiful music that immediately sank deep into the soul and after quite a long time, after watching, remains there, inside you, and every time you listen to these compositions, you instantly plunge into the charming atmosphere of the film and mentally draw yourself beautiful views of Italy, a small, provincial town of Mongibello, the endless, blue sea, narrow canals of Venice, cobbled streets of Rome ... That's amazing. Gabriel Yared can rightfully consider himself a genius composer!
But let’s get closer to the movie.
I loved the fact that Minghella did not turn Ripley into the ruthless maniac that Highsmith introduced him to us, he left a little bit of humanity in him.
Yeah. I am inclined to think that Ripley is not a murderer, or rather, he did not consciously want to take this path. Dickie's murder happened by accident, in a fit of emotion, despair, anger. Tom was simply unable to listen to these insults from a loved one, he was insanely hurt and eventually emotions took over and he took that first hit. And we can see the shock this situation has put Tom in. He was ready to rush with an apology to Dickie, take him to the hospital, but alas he wanted revenge, ' Revenge' and Ripley had to defend and strike back. .
And after the murder, Tom was madly sorry for Richard, he was shocked and shocked by what happened, he rushes to Dickie's lifeless body in tears, encloses him in a strong embrace, he squeezes him, the brother he never had and will never have, the man who was kind and generous to him. Tom can't say goodbye to him, he can't let him go.
Highsmith gave us, as I have already written, a cold calculation. In the books, Tom planned Dickie's murder in advance, decided in advance how to get rid of the corpse and what he would do with the boat. Tom killed Richard in order to become himself.
In the film, the same thing happens in principle, but the idea that Tom could successfully play the role of Richard Greenleaf came from a concierge at the hotel. And Ripley himself, in the film, hardly thought of such a thing. And I am eternally grateful to the writers for that. For me it was very important and pleasant that Thomas Ripley in the film adaptation of 1999 left a bit of humanity, compassion, kindness than Tom Ripley in the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Maybe a lot of people will disagree with me, maybe a lot of people think of Ripley as a psychopath, a ruthless killer who has no compassion, etc. Trust me, that's not true. I still think that Ripley got a little confused in the film, he took the path of a murderer and was forced to continue it, because he was afraid to be responsible for his actions. His only sin was posing as Dickie after his death. But ask yourself the question, ' What would you do in this case' ?. And that's where Tom Ripley wakes up inside of you.
Despite the fact that he locks his past in a dark basement to never go there, Tom is deeply sorry for what he did, he will have to bear this heavy burden forever. He wants to erase himself and start with a clean slate, but alas, he cannot. And no matter how tightly Tom locks his basement, demons will still slip out there and nightmares will haunt Tom forever.
10 out of 10
The best and most underrated film by Anthony Minghella.
Tom Ripley is a talented guy. He easily learns everything, easily copies and imitates everything. With such talent, you want to take someone’s warm place. Especially if it's in Italy.
It is unknown why, but this example of neo-noir somehow did not captivate critics and the public immediately. But for this there were all the prerequisites – Minghella broke all the main canons of the genre: instead of a femme fatale (potentially such a role was claimed by the heroines Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow) – a fatal man: Jude Law. Instead of one unknown killer, one known killer. Instead of a happy feast at a wedding, an unhappy homosexual union. Almost in the spirit of the times. Impeccable remains the noir style, painted with a murderous sun, taken from the previous adaptation of Highsmith’s novel “In the Bright Sun” with Alain Delon. In addition to skillful juggling of canons, which demonstrates skill, Minghella no less deftly operates with meanings. By the middle of the film, you will not notice how you begin to empathize with the villain, opening the depths of evil. Aren't they in themselves?
Slightly breaks the film, oddly enough, the magnificent play of Jude Law, who with invisible ease pulls the blanket over himself, depriving the film as a whole of the necessary harmony. Perhaps this is due to the lack of recognition from film critics.
9 out of 10
Being a sociable person, easily making friends is not a vice. Only new friends can have dangerous hidden talents. And as soon as it seems to them that you have ceased to treat them well, they can release their claws and begin to torment with them anyone who wants to take away their new sweet life.
Director Anthony Minghella loved to create unusual films that remain in the hearts of the audience. And then one day he decided to try his hand at the genre of a criminal thriller. For the director it was only the fourth film, but at that time on his account was already Oscar and recognition of the world of cinema, so he boldly took up not the first and probably not the last adaptation of the novel by Patricia Highsmith. The plot takes the viewer to the 1950s from America to Italy, where one poor guy is destined to learn the taste of a luxurious carefree life in the circle of friends, which nothing will force him to give up.
Tom is talented. Tom is gentle. Tom is handsome. Tom is mysterious. Tom is very interesting. Tom has secrets he doesn't want to tell me. That's too bad. Tom has nightmares. It's very bad. Tom is loved. That's good.
Tom Ripley, a gentleman, may seem like an unremarkable young man at first sight. But he has such hidden talents as forging the handwriting, voices and habits of other people, which over time become too much of a temptation for the guy. And when an opportunity comes up, Tom grabs the ticket for a better life. He can be understood, because for the first time he has friends, without whom it is not easy to live. Only his strong attachment, the habit of walking on his heels and demanding love from people lead to nightmarish consequences. He could have really been in love with Dickie, Marge, Meredith and Peter. And although Tom makes them suffer, he does it involuntarily, as if he can't love without hurting. It would be interesting to learn a little bit about his past, his childhood, his youth, to understand him better. Matt Damon was the perfect Tom Ripley. He perfectly felt his hero, managed to understand his strangeness and create a holistic image on the screen, which sometimes causes pity, and sometimes shocks.
Since Tom Ripley has always watched the rich with a certain admiration, from the very first minutes of meeting Dickie Greenleaf he begins to be drawn to such a cheerful and prosperous life. But the egotist Dickie does not think too much about the fact that he can warm up next to a snake that will one day take and sting him. Jude Law perfectly played a handsome spender, constantly hunting for vivid impressions. His hero had everything, but even that was not enough for him.
The female characters in this story are exactly the opposite of the main characters. Charming Marge, who has been Dickie’s bride for a long time, loves to have fun, but is responsible and does not forget about her work, the more she looks like Tom, but the carefree Meredith, whom he accidentally met, is more like Dickie. Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett did a great job with their roles. Both actresses became famous and successful a year before the release of this film adaptation, and this film only confirmed how talented they are. Also secondary roles were performed here by actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jack Davenport. The attitude of their characters to the main character is absolutely the opposite - one despises Ripley for living at someone else's expense, and the other becomes a good friend to him who understands what is really going on in his head.
The film quickly captures and keeps in suspense until the very end, forcing you to puzzle over the next terrible act of the protagonist and how he will get out. The atmosphere of the film, created with the help of jazz melodies, because jazz is the passion of one of the heroes, intriguing melodies of the composer and chic sunny Italian landscapes, perfectly contrasts with the gloomy plot. There are quite a few scenes that give goosebumps, but the finale is even more impressive, showing that there are no boundaries for the crimes of the talented Mr. Ripley.
To the good life is very easy to get used to and hardly want to wean. Only some people will be able to reconcile and return home, while others will literally do everything so that the fairy tale never ends.
“Tom Ripley is going to kill me,” as they say, “nothing foreshadowed.”
It’s hard to say “liked” the movie. I don't know how you'd like a nightmare or a blow to the solar plexus. It's creepy, it takes your breath away, and it blows cold sweat. This movie is my nightmare. About how a talented man from the simple makes a harmless, in general, mistake - pretends to be someone he is not. Then, instead of admitting her, he commits a crime, and then these crimes begin to turn on each other like a snowball. The process becomes irreversible.
What could be worse when you are not living your own life, when you are constantly carrying in your soul the fear of exposure? Because of this, the main character passes by his love, with his own hands kills the only friend who values him not for the mythical image he ascribed to himself, but for his, Tom Ripley, dignity.
The film is quite long, but holds interest from the first to the last minutes. It is as if divided into two parts, different in dynamism, emotional coloring.
10 out of 10
Anthony Minghelle, performers of all roles, landscapes of Italy and the duo of Jude Law and Matt Damon.
Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley was first filmed back in 1960 by director René Clément, but the tape was quickly forgotten and did not become a cult picture of its time. Released in 1999, the erotic-psychological thriller Anthony Minghella, telling about the adventurer and criminal Tom Ripley, constantly looking for luck and money, made a real furor, receiving the approval of both viewers and film critics.
In the center of the plot of the film is the immoral and beautiful Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), after a chance acquaintance with a very influential man who goes to Venice. It is on the most beautiful streets of this city that the tense events of the film, which is one of the best thrillers of the late 90s, will develop.
Although it is difficult to imagine Matt Damon as a deeply immoral character, the actor coped 100% with the role of Tom Ripley. He showed all the duplicity of his hero, constantly wearing the mask of a charming guy who does not cause suspicion.
Jude Law played Dickie Greenleaf no less magnificently, although his character is very typical in the career of this actor. Idle, handsome and not stupid Dickie does not pull on the perfect sacrifice, but the traps set by Tom are fatal for this very attractive character.
Perfectly coped with the roles and Cate Blanchett, and Gwyneth Paltrow, adding to the picture even larger notes of British cold beauty.
In addition to the beautiful acting and intense plot, the picture is also impressive by the work of the operator John Seal, who created a very stylish and nostalgic retro picture. Gabriel Yared’s soundtrack, full of jazz expression, but sometimes turning into melancholy, perfectly approached the video sequence of the tape.
So, if you like psychological thrillers with an erotic bias, like retrokino, then the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley” You will not be disappointed.
Not the first, but the most popular adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s work “The Talented Mr. Ripley”. The first films were In the Bright Sun and American Friend. And to be honest, I haven't seen any. This picture is a remake of the film “In the bright sun”. I haven’t seen the original, so I won’t say if the remake was successful or not. I found out about The Talented Mr. Ripley earlier this year, and for some reason, the circumstances were such that I just watched this movie. I personally liked it very much, for a long time I did not experience so much emotion while watching.
Everyone is talented at something. Someone knows how to drive a car perfectly, someone can be good at persuading and turning good deals, someone has a talent to drag girls into bed with one glance, and someone has a great talent for killing. This is the Talented Thomas Ripley. Is he good or bad? Hard to say. Because he has both positive qualities and negative ones. Our hero lies a lot from the very beginning of the film, so the impression from him is twofold.
Tom meets a very rich man who gives Tom an assignment to go to Italy and pick up his son, who is pretty well settled with his girlfriend in Italy. Tom believes that this is his finest hour, one of the highlights of his life. So soon Tom met Dickie (the son of the rich man) and his girlfriend Marge. Envy is a bad quality, so Tom decides to take his place. Dickie.
Ripley, like Dickie, is a complex character. In fact, they're not evil. Dickie loves his girlfriend, treats Tom like a brother, has a kind character. But it also has its dark sides. He likes to look at other beauties, besides, if he makes a new acquaintance (the case with Fred), then he instantly forgets about friends and prefers a new friend. And as for Dickie, they begin to press him immediately angry and becomes just a wild boor. Is he bad? Good? You can get confused. He is so mired in the good and the bad that it is difficult to determine.
Who's Thomas Ripley? He dreams of victory, of his finest hour and how to find his true calling. He tries to find his talent, but somehow unsuccessfully. But why not? He is a good liar and can perfectly copy the facial expressions of any person. Dickie became his real brother, and he didn’t want to end his friendship. But one day, Tom found his calling and his talent. He killed Dickie. Here everything happened according to circumstances, and in the book it was already a premeditated murder, judging by some sources.
The film was a success in every article. Excellent box office, bright cast, beautiful production, wonderful directing. Despite the timing (as many have said), the film really does not let you get bored. It's a quality psychological thriller and now my favorite movie. Met Damon played a great role, perhaps his best. I didn’t really like him before, but after that movie I started to respect him. Like Jude Law, I didn’t like him in Sherlock Holmes, and here he grew up in my eyes, showing a really great acting. To other actors, too, no complaints, all perfectly played their roles.
I recommend for viewing fans of thin, smart, beautiful cinema, fans of thrillers and fans of Matt Damon. The movie is worth watching.
If you watch a movie in one breath, it’s your movie. If you can’t stop watching a movie, this is your movie. If you laugh/cry/empathize with the actors, this is your movie. “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is my film, in all respects.
Psychology - yes, the acting - yes, the plot - and again Yes. As for the acting trio (Paltrow, Law and Damon), then the palm of the championship is undoubtedly and rightly given to the third. This is Matt Damon's best role. It is not the first time he has played a guy-neurasthenic, suffering from narcissism, huge ambitions and unstoppable talent, both reincarnation and persuasion, the skill of psychoanalysis, but inside of which, raging serious passions - he is at war with himself and not finding harmony and balance - transforms into a ruthless killer. As practice shows, the diabolical mind and cold prudence did not make anyone happy in principle and Ripley in particular. Tom Ripley’s motto is “All life is a game and I’m a puppeteer.”
As for the other two actors, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, Matt outshone them by all criteria. Jude Law still does not come out of his ordinary role as a handsome guy, Gwyneth, also did not surprise. The film still plays brilliant D. Hoffman and Cate Blanchett, but this time they too were not on top.
10 out of 10
I really enjoyed the movie! brilliant! A very memorable and piercing film about the split and then the slow destruction of the human personality; a very deep psychological drama dedicated to the abyss of the human psyche. Minghella is a brilliant director; he was delighted with his Cold Mountain, and The Talented Mr. Ripley finally convinced me of the masterpiece of his work. The hero of the film is a disgusting monster and his sincere pity; he looked into his abyss and stayed there forever. “If you look long into the abyss, the abyss will begin to look into you,” Nietzsche said.
The film begins symbolically - with a lullaby, not simple - a lullaby Cain, throwing a light on everything that is happening. Tom Ripley is Cain, a renegade and destroyer of his essence, a biblical fratricide doomed to tragic loneliness. Since the murder he committed turns into a series of bloody deaths, Tom Ripley’s split personality, and then its complete destruction: he kills an innocent, good man who was dear to him, kills against his will, a dark beginning has spoken in him, the Mr. Hyde he set free.
I want to end the review with the ending of Andrew’s scandalous story: “For one moment, a sparkling fire terror illuminated his thoughts, opening a black abyss before him. And the black abyss swallowed him up.
10 out of 10