Amazon.co.uk Review
"I feel like I've been handed a new life", says Tom Ripley at a crucial turning point of this well-cast, stylishly crafted psychological thriller. And indeed he has, because the devious, impoverished Ripley (played with subtle depth by Matt Damon) has just traded his own identity for that of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the playboy heir to a shipping fortune who has become Ripley's model for a life worth living. Having been sent by Dickie's father to retrieve the errant son from Italy, Ripley has smoothly ingratiated himself with Dickie and his lovely, unsuspecting fiancée, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). In due course, the sheer evil of Ripley's amoral scheme will be revealed.

Superbly adapted from the acclaimed novel by Patricia Highsmith (also the basis of the acclaimed French version, Purple Noon), The Talented Mr Ripley is writer-director Anthony Minghella's impressive follow-up to his Oscar-winning triumph The English Patient. Recreating late-1950s Italy in exacting detail, the film captures the sensuousness of la dolce vita while developing the fracturing of Ripley's mind as his crimes grow increasingly desperate. And where Hitchcock was necessarily discreet with the homosexual subtext of Highsmith's Strangers on a Train, Minghella brings it out of the closet, increasing the dramatic tension and complexity of Ripley's psychological breakdown. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett are excellent in pivotal supporting roles, and the film's final image is utterly effective: Ripley's talents have gone too far, and this study of class distinction, obsession and deadly desire reaches a disturbing yet richly appropriate conclusion. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Special Features
English
Region 2


Synopsis
Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name, Minghella's moody follow-up to his Oscar-winning THE ENGLISH PATIENT concerns Tom Ripley, a poor New Yorker, who is sent to Italy by the wealthy Mr. Greenleaf in order to bring back his spoiled son, Dickie. Once in Italy, Tom charms his way into the home of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge, where he begins to get a taste of wealthy living. When Tom begins to wear out his welcome, he takes drastic actions to ensure that he will never have to return to the life that he left behind.

From the Back Cover
Living a life of leisure on the sun drenched coast of Italy, young Dickie Greenleaf has it all: friends, the love of a beautiful woman and the best things that money can buy. Tom Ripley, on the other hand, has nothing but charm, good looks..and a deadly obsession to take over this rich man's life! In another landmark motion picture from Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella, a riveting game of stolen identity unfolds with Ripley's desperate attempts to stay one step ahead of ever-growing suspicion.

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Fails to gel, 29 Mar 2008 By  Miketang (London, UK) - See all my reviews From the first reading of Highsmith's novel I felt she was a minor genius in evoking both the mind of a deeply disturbed character and the divided society of high elegance and low misery in which he moved and from which he was alienated. Was the split in his mind or the society's? Surely both. For years Holywood seemingly "bottled" out of confronting the issue as it avoided Highsmith's most masterly opus. This film was eagerly awaited. Disappointingly the whole comes to less than the sum of its parts. The locations and period values are stunning. The direction is considered. The essence of Highsmith's novel sporadically peeps through some of the acting. Yet the final article fails to convince. Damon and Law are too unsubtle and lack the chemistry to realize the homoerotic undercurrent essential to the evolution of the plot. The characters fail to fit within the lovingly evoked '50s settings. It felt weirdly as though 21st century characters were transplanted into a 1950s milieu. The "spirit" of the acting failed to coalesce with the externals. The departures from the novel merely contributed to the diffusion of the plot and the unconvincing ending. I can empathize with other reviewers who thought the film went on too long....from the point at which, I believe, it departed from the understated tension of the novel to overdramatize Ripley's anti-heroic personality. One of the strengths of the novel lay in suggesting how precisely such an understated and chameleon personality as Ripley's could literally "get away" with murder by (unconsciously or instinctively, perhaps) taking advantage of his society's readiness or need to turn a blind eye where elegant appearance conflicted with bloody reality. The overwhelming feeling at the end of this film is that this character could never have got away with it. So - good in parts, I feel; but we still await the definitive English version of Highsmith's 'magnum opus' on film.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Stylish locations & an enthralling plot., 25 Mar 2008 By  Sizzle "Sizbat" (UK) - See all my reviews This is an intelligent & captivating film which is based upon the art of deception & thinking on your feet. Set in the 1950's ,a time when the world was simpler & less commercial, it captures the wonderful decadence of post war Italy & the way that an outsider, Tom Ripley, worms his way into a world that is way above his station. It's well acted & has the plot develops at steady pace. Recommended  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: interesting, 11 Jul 2007 By  inkster - See all my reviews I like this film a lot. I am not at all a fan of gwyneth paltrow and jude law too is an actor whose presence has often kept me from watching certain movies. The same goes for cate blanchet. I found all of them rather good in this one. Philip Seymor Hoffmans presence does the oposite and in this film too, he is excellent,almost as creepy as matt damons character, ripley, he adds to the athmosphere very well. Matt Damon is excellent in this film. I really enjoyed it. The only funny thing was spotting the cover of "tutu" a miles davis album released in'86.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: The Talented Matt Damon, 22 May 2007 By  Jay "The Amazon Reviewer" (Mauritius) - See all my reviews    The Talented Mr Ripley is an unusual film, an eerie tale of jealousy, violence, loneliness, and desperation. Tom Ripley is a man who has, in his own mind, no self worth, no identity, and no substance. His ideas of life and existence depend on how he is perceived by others, and when that is no longer good enough..... Matt Damon is superb as the shy, self effacing Tom Ripley, an outwardly timid, unassuming man who shows little sign of what lurks beneath his pleasant front. Jude Law is also great as the vain, fickle Dickie Greenleaf, the rich boy who befriends Tom, and Gwyneth Paltrow also shines through as the loveable Marge, Dickie's girlfriend. Fans of the Patricia Highsmith novels will not be disappointed, as Anthony Minghella has superbly crafted her excellent literary prose onto the screen. This must also be one of the most skillfully shot movies of recent times, the scenery is fantastic and seldom has Italy been portrayed as such a beautiful country. This movie is definitely worth watching. It is becoming increasingly rare for movies to evoke serious emotions within the viewer, and with The Talented Mr Ripley, there are many occasions where these such emotions are aroused. A very good film.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful: good...but not good enough for a remake, 9 Nov 2006 By  Mr. Sam Harvey "ihatenicknamesaswell" (Hackney, London) - See all my reviews    Plein Soleil is better. Personal opinion I realise...but is it enough to make you seek out the original book to film translation? Let me prompt you. I've read all of the Ripley novels (loved the lot - but that reminds me: X would really love those green silk pyjamas I saw in the Burlington Arcade...) and it is my humble opinion that the 1960 film is far, far closer to capturing the "charming (but deeply amoral) man does very very very bad thing but gets away with it - and aren't you secretly glad that he does?" feeling of the novels. It's up to you to find out. I'ts all about the choices we make in this life. Will you make the difficult but rewarding choice? Ripley did. Why shouldn't you?  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: "The only thing which looks like Dickie ...is you.", 17 Oct 2006 By  Kona (Derbyshire) - See all my reviews       This intriguing psychological drama stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a poor piano player who meets a wealthy man, lies about being his son's friend, and is hired to go to Italy to bring the son home. Tom befriends Dickie (Jude Law), the young playboy, and Dickie's girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) and begins living the high-life with them. He loves everything about Dickie's privileged lifestyle, but complications arise when an American socialite (Cate Blanchette) and a nosey pal (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) start to crowd Tom. Anti-hero Tom Ripley is something of an innocent, while also being completely without morals. He admits early on that he is a liar, forger, and impersonator, and those are some of his good qualities. He commits an unspeakable act in a fit of passion, and then finds himself buried deeper and deeper in a web of lies. Matt Damon is convincing as Tom, but charismatic Jude Law steals the show as the spoiled golden boy, Dickie. His American accent is just right and his scenes are the best in the movie. Paltrow, Blanchette, and Hoffman give memorable performances, too. The Italian locations are beautiful, and the intense script is full of twists and turns as Tom's dream of wealth is pursued, realized, and then threatened. The story is complex, subtle, and shocking; I understand more with every viewing and like it more, too. Highly recommended.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Murder most moving, 11 Mar 2006 By  G. Turner (london, uk) - See all my reviews    There are some differences between this film and the Patricia Highsmith novel it is based on. Some major changes to plot have been made, yet intricacy of the original is not lost...in fact the screenplay and direction succeeds in inducing a sense of almost visual dizziness at the complex double life that Tom leads and which constantly comes within a hairs breadth of unravelling. While the strengths of the film medium are exploited, its unsuprising that the shocking sense of identification with a cold blooded killer which an intimite novel can provide is somewhat missing here. In fact Mat Damon's Ripley here is less of a psychopath and more of a sad loser that somehow blunders his way into an orgy of murder. Still, the superb playing of the leads together with a truly outstanding film score might well succeed in leaving you with an unhealthily Highsmithian sense of sympathy for a killer.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: No doubt a five star film and a five star story, 16 Feb 2006 By A Customer I saw this as soon as it was released on DVD, and again very recently, and I was left with the same impression of excellence. The principal actors are all great, but Matt Damon is particularly good, portraying a complex (psychotic?) character that develops through the film. The movie has wonderfully tense moments. Few films stand-up to repeated viewings, but this does quite easily. I'll watch it again and hope for sequels of the same standard.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Good, but the book was better, 28 Dec 2005 By  Kurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (London, SW1) - See all my reviews       Now, I am a person who generally judges a movie and a book independently of each other, as the screenwriter is generally only using the novel as an outline. (Unless the screenwriter is the author, in which case, no holds barred.) But in this case, the above holds true -- the book is better, but this is a good movie. Once I divorced my memory of the book (which apparently only provided character names, setting, and very general plot) the movie went along quite nicely. Although, I must admit, I think that Jude Law would have made a better Ripley -- his acting seemed better suited for that role, and perhaps Damon should have been the carefree playboy. Alas, the final murder in the movie is not in the novel -- so, if they are setting The Talented Mr. Ripley up for sequels, they will most likely not follow Highsmith's next novels, either. A pity more wasn't done with Gwyneth Paltrow, who seemed almost at points more like a flat character out of 'Friends' than a movie-drama character. Alas, our Ripley gets away, for now -- will movie goers return to see the next installment? The atmosphere of the drama was classic for the time-period of the novel. The 1950s Italy, still recovering from the war and still catering in many respects to wealthy Americans at play fills the screen. The posh airs of the almost-aristocracy, the world to which Ripley yearns to belong at any cost, come through with crisp realism. The direction, art direction, costumes and general cinematography help this film to shine; the story, alas, is the part the drags, despite being based upon the sterling novel of Patricia Highsmith. A little more allegiance to the novel, and perhaps some judicious minor editing would make this a truly classic film. That said, it is a film I rarely tire of seeing. It is worth seeing, and worth owning.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: The Sweet Life, 2 Sep 2005 By  N. Clarke "genco1901" (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews    I make no secret about being a fan of The Talented M