A small-scale imposter / con man, making the rounds in 1950s New York, gets caught up in something much greater than his usual scam and decides to let it ride, if just to see where he winds up. In this case the answer is Italy, gorgeous vestige of the old world with just a few hints of the modern one, where he's tasked with convincing a flippant trust funder to return from a perpetual, fortune-draining holiday. That mission quickly goes by the wayside, just as soon as he realizes how much easier life is in the lap of luxury, and he merely exacerbates said money-letting as the wealthy playboy's new wingman. When things take a turn for the messy, though, his welcome worn thin and nothing to show for it but bittersweet memories, a panicked string of responses sends the entire comfortable lifestyle into a tailspin.
At its root, Ripley is an example of how fear and rejection can press a normally smart, affable person over the brink into monstrosity, a surprise considering the playful tone of the first act. Matt Damon, still fresh from his breakout in 1997's Good Will Hunting, shows great versatility in the leading role (essential for such a complicated character), smoothly masking that twitch in his eye from all but the viewing audience. It's one of those films where you'll feel wrong about your rooting interest, knowing all along that the guy absolutely does not deserve a happy ending, with the final moments serving as your comeuppance.
A nobody who wants to be somebody so bad, he grabs any occasion to pretend he is something he is not - and successfully! In Dickie's shoes, I don't know, if I had befriended Tom so easily, he seemed awkward, strange, and agenda driven. Anyway as the plot progresses it becomes more and more disturbing up till the very last scene. All together some plot twists came as a surprise, e.g. Dickie's father completely trusting Tom after Dickie's disappearance, and the afore mentioned disturbing end. Things were going so well and then the sociopath awakens...
"I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody."
Most uncomfortable i have ever felt watching a movie but that is a big positive. Matt Damon steals the show in his role along with Jude Long in making a suspenseful takeover of another man's life. Delusion and grandeur are a toxic mix.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
.5 / 1 story
.5 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
.5 / 1 writing
0 / 1 originality
0 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
0 / 1 misc
5.5 / 10
This is like an Edgar Wright movie: it starts as one thing, and then it morphs into something completely different.
Very good (especially the performances and score), but it doesn’t always make a ton of sense.
7.5/10
The Talented Mr. Ripley is more of a case study than a film.
The talent of the film comes from the performances and the book that manages to contextualize different layers, whether through drama, identity or appeal to social layers. In this sense, I like what the film delivers and even manages to explore the nuances of the film and its key moments. However, it lacks something more important - cinema. Can you imagine this script with Safdie Brothers? I believe it has a lot to do with the production and direction aspects. The production delivers a lot and the direction helps. After all, Anthony Minghella seems to me to be a guy more interested in theater than cinema, something that is revealed in his filmography.
This is an old movie. Weird that Netflix adds it to their service. 15mins in: oh, now I get it. It's gay shit
I knew absolutely nothing about this film. I thought it was going to be "Y Tu Mamá También" in Italy. That death in the middle of the movie really shook me. I didn't expect it to be a murder mystery thriller. Very unpredictable film.
Oh this was good! I didn't expect it to be so good. Even when you think it's getting predictable something unpredictable happens. This indeed was one of the good thrillers I watched. Uncanny and delusional.
Parts of the movie were better than the book, especially the ending. The ending deserves a few extra stars.
Gwyneth Paltrow had a brilliant scene.
Great cast, great places, great movie.
Heaps of brilliant twists and turns!
Damon and Law - great creations. The Italy of the 1950s is shown in an interesting way.
Always loved this movie.... the progression of a seemingly ordinary guy who believes it is better to be a fake somebody than himself... a nobody. Progression into an uncomfortable fake.
adam gerçekten yetenekli . matt ,gwyneth ve jude üçlüsünü contagion'da yeniden bir arada görmek çok güzeldi. izleyin izlettirin
Shout by jeffrey FrenchVIP BlockedParent2022-05-22T05:31:17Z
The Talented Mr. Ripley is good, but not great. The locales are beautiful, and it does have some nice plot twists. Jude Law is outstanding in this one and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is excellent in his small, but crucial roll.