alexdeleonfilm Review of The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

a superior french original dressed up in Hollywood glitz

[7/10 · 2 July 2017]

Viewed at the Berlin Film Festival, 2000 Anthony Minghella's thriller "The Talented Mister Ripley" has been a big commercial success as a multi-star vehicle but by no means a critical success – far inferior to it's 1959 French predecessor "Purple Noon" (Plein Soleil) of which it is a direct remake dressed up in Hollywood glitz. The story centers on a wily loser from New York (Matt Damon) who befriends a wealthy American ex-pat in Italy (ajude Law) then murders him and steals his identity. This film was probably selected because it is the director's follow-up to the much heralded "English Patient" of 1996. While Matt Damon was oddly appealing as the psychotic antihero of the title, his interpretation of the role doesn't hold a candle to Alain Delon's definitively sinister Ripley in the René Clément version. Nor can Jude Law's over-the-top "Dickie Greenleaf"  begin to compare with Maurice Ronet's super-cool reading of the same part in '59. Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow fill out the feminine side of the cast. Philip Seymour Hoffman nearly steals the show in a small role as the creepy guy who is on to Damon's deadly stealing of another person's identity. Not bad as far as remakes go "The Talented Mister Ripley" is a flashy piece of contemporary entertainment but is far from rating as a serious festival contender.