Just in case you reach the end of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and wonder why you've become not just sympathetic but end up rooting for an amoral murderer: this story does an excellent job of leading you down the path to murder.

You begin by gaining sympathy for Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, an eager and personable enough guy who has a life of sad, grinding poverty.  Through a bit of timing and chutzpah, he finds himself enlisted to go to Europe and persuade a rich kid to come home.  The lazy world of the idle rich is a new lifestyle that Mr. Ripley doesn't want to let go of.

It helps us that we discover the people whom Ripley "victimizes" are crass, selfish people with dirty little secrets of their own.  Ripley may be a complete fraud in his charade as one of the rich kids partying around Europe--but at least he's doing more with his life than the people he encounters!

This is a wonderfully photographed, deeply textured film without the "thriller" conventions.  It doesn't move fast but does turn up the interest as Ripley goes further and further with is schemes.  The performances are all top-notch and the locations are stunning.  I just went to Venice for the first time last fall and I was still struck at how beautiful it looks in this film.

This story doesn't have the emotional pay-off that THE ENGLISH PATIENT did but everything else that made that movie great is here: the style, the pacing, the attention to details, the way the story unfolds.
Just in case you reach the end of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and wonder why you've become not just sympathetic but end up rooting for an amoral murderer: this story does an excellent job of leading you down the path to murder. You begin by gaining sympathy for Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, an eager and personable enough guy who has a life of sad, grinding poverty. Through a bit of timing and chutzpah, he finds himself enlisted to go to Europe and persuade a rich kid to come home. The lazy world of the idle rich is a new lifestyle that Mr. Ripley doesn't want to let go of. It helps us that we discover the people whom Ripley "victimizes" are crass, selfish people with dirty little secrets of their own. Ripley may be a complete fraud in his charade as one of the rich kids partying around Europe--but at least he's doing more with his life than the people he encounters! This is a wonderfully photographed, deeply textured film without the "thriller" conventions. It doesn't move fast but does turn up the interest as Ripley goes further and further with is schemes. The performances are all top-notch and the locations are stunning. I just went to Venice for the first time last fall and I was still struck at how beautiful it looks in this film. This story doesn't have the emotional pay-off that THE ENGLISH PATIENT did but everything else that made that movie great is here: the style, the pacing, the attention to details, the way the story unfolds.