The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
...
"How far would you go to be someone else."
| Released: | December 25, 1999 |
| Running Time: | 139 min. |
| Cast: | Matt Damon Jude Law Gwyneth Paltrow Cate Blanchett Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Baker Hall |
| Writers: | Patricia Highsmith
(novel) Anthony Minghella (screenplay) |
| Director: | Anthony Minghella |
| My Rating | **1/2 |
I was disappointed in this film ... and I'm not sure why. Perhaps, after one of my favorite love stories in The English Patient, I was expecting Minghella to do something similar. But I think the real problem is Matt Damon in the lead role. I like Matt as an actor, but I somehow didn't feel he was right for Ripley ... too wide-eyed innocent to be the nasty killer the character turns out to be.
Jude and Gwyneth are perfectly cast, as is Philip Seymour Hoffman, but Damon just seems too nice for this role. There are a lot of wonderful scenes in the film, beautifully shot, but overall the story didn't do much for me. Perhaps I should watch it again and see if I have the same reaction .... oh, wait, I did watch it again and I did have the same reaction. Hmmm, perhaps another viewing .... I really wanted to like this film but ... oh, well.
You might like it, though, and I promise, I'll try again. Great poster though!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 feature film based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and directed by Anthony Minghella.
The 1999 film version, The Talented Mr. Ripley, had the full title of The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley. This version starred Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, Cate Blanchett as Meredith Logue (a character created for the film), Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles, Jack Davenport as Peter Smith-Kingsley (a character expanded for the film) and James Rebhorn as Herbert Greenleaf.
The 1999 film differs somewhat from the novel and the earlier film in its portrayal of Ripley: While the Ripley character in the novel and in Plein Soleil has some sympathetic qualities, he is primarily an opportunistic psychopath with no qualms about committing cold-blooded murder whenever it suits him; as portrayed in Minghella's film, however, he is an almost tragic figure motivated by his own self-hatred and not completely immune to guilt. This characterization received a certain amount of criticism, particularly from Highsmith fans.
The 1999 film also explores Ripley's fascination with Greenleaf as more overtly sexual. While this is alluded to in the novel, the film expands upon Ripley's feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, and creates greater tension between the characters.
The motivation for the murder of Greenleaf is treated quite differently, although the setting is identical. In the 1999 film, Ripley kills Greenleaf in a moment of rage after being mocked and rejected by him. He then quickly covers his tracks in his opportunistic manner. In the novel and in Plein Soleil, the murder was premeditated, with Ripley planning each detail in advance and then carrying it out.
