The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)

The Talented Mr. Ripley
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Minghella
Produced by	Sydney Pollack Paul Zaentz Lydia Dean Pilcher William Horberg
Screenplay by	Anthony Minghella
Based on	The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Starring	Matt Damon Gwyneth Paltrow Jude Law Cate Blanchett Philip Seymour Hoffman Jack Davenport
Music by	Gabriel Yared
Cinematography	John Seale
Editing by	Walter Murch
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (USA) Miramax Films (Non-USA)
Release date(s)	December 25, 1999 (1999-12-25)
Running time	139 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$40 million
Box office	$128,798,265

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith 1955 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed as Plein Soleil (Purple Noon, 1960).

The film stars 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), James Rebhorn as Herbert Greenleaf, and Celia Weston as Aunt Joan.

It was filmed mainly in Italy with landmarks in the cities of Rome and Venice used as a backdrop for the narrative.

Plot

Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is a young man struggling to make a living in 1950s New York City using his "talents" — forgery, lying and impersonation. While working at a party, playing the piano in a borrowed Princeton jacket, he is approached by the wealthy shipbuilder Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn), who believes Ripley to be an actual graduate of the university and a friend of his son, Dickie (Jude Law). The older Mr. Greenleaf recruits Ripley to travel to Italy to persuade Dickie to return home to the United States, for which he will pay Ripley a thousand dollars. Ripley accepts the proposal, though he did not go to Princeton and never met Dickie.

Shortly after his arrival in Italy, Ripley contrives an "accidental" meeting on the beach with Dickie and his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), and quickly insinuates himself into their lives. On one of their outings together, Dickie and Ripley meet Dickie's friend Freddie Miles (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who treats Ripley with barely concealed contempt.

Things begin to change after a local girl, whom Dickie had gotten pregnant, drowns herself when he refuses to help her financially. Soon afterward, Dickie begins to tire of his new friend, resenting his constant presence and suffocating dependence, especially after surmising that Ripley has been lying about their days together at Princeton. Ripley's own feelings are complicated by his desire to maintain the opulent lifestyle Dickie has afforded him, and by his growing sexual obsession with his new friend.

As a gesture to Ripley, Dickie agrees to travel with him on a short holiday to San Remo. The two hire a small boat and head out to sea together. Dickie lashes out when Ripley confronts him about his behavior, and a fight ensues in which Ripley strikes Dickie with an oar in a fit of rage, causing his face to be disfigured with blood. Dickie attacks him, and Ripley beats him to death with the oar. To conceal his crime, he scuttles the boat, with Dickie's body still on board, before swimming to shore.

When the hotel concierge mistakes him for Dickie, Ripley suddenly realizes he can assume Dickie's identity. He forges Dickie's signature, modifies his passport, and begins living off his allowance. He uses Dickie's typewriter to communicate with Marge and makes her believe that Dickie has deserted her. He even checks into two separate hotels as himself and as Dickie and passes messages between "them" via the hotel staff, thus providing the illusion that Dickie is still alive.

Later, Ripley rents an expensive apartment in Rome and spends a lonely Christmas buying expensive presents for himself. Freddie visits what he assumes to be Dickie's apartment, and is immediately suspicious of Ripley; the apartment is not furnished in what he considers to be Dickie's style, while Ripley appears to have copied Dickie's dress and manner perfectly. On his way out, Freddie meets the landlady, who refers to Ripley as "Signor Greenleaf"; Freddie goes back to confront Ripley, who ambushes and then murders him.

Over the next few weeks, Ripley's existence becomes a "cat and mouse" game with the police and Dickie's friends. His predicament is complicated by Meredith Logue (Cate Blanchett), a wealthy heiress he met after first arriving in Italy and to whom he introduced himself as Dickie Greenleaf before he had met Dickie. Ripley forges a suicide note in Dickie's name and moves to Venice. In quick succession, Marge, Dickie's father, and an American private detective (Philip Baker Hall) confront Ripley. Marge, in particular, suspects Ripley's involvement in Dickie's death; upon expressing her suspicions, Ripley prepares to murder her. He is interrupted when Marge's friend, Peter Smith-Kingsley (Jack Davenport), enters the apartment.

The private detective reveals that Mr. Greenleaf has decided to give Ripley a portion of Dickie's income, with the understanding that certain sordid details about his son's past, such as a vicious assault on a male student at Princeton, not be revealed to the Italian police.

Ripley goes on a cruise with Smith-Kingsley, his new lover, only to discover that Meredith is also on board. Ripley realizes it will be impossible to keep Smith-Kingsley from discovering that he has been passing himself off as Dickie, since Smith-Kingsley and Meredith know each other and would certainly exchange words later on the cruise. He cannot solve this dilemma by murdering Logue, as she is traveling with family who would quickly notice her disappearance. The movie concludes with a sobbing Ripley strangling Smith-Kingsley in his bed and going back to his own cabin, alone.

Cast

• Matt Damon as Tom Ripley
• Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood
• Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf
• Cate Blanchett as Meredith Logue
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles
• Jack Davenport as Peter Smith-Kingsley
• James Rebhorn as Herbert Greenleaf
• Sergio Rubini as Inspector Roverini
• Philip Baker Hall as Alvin MacCarron
• Celia Weston as Aunt Joan

Reception

Critical reaction to The Talented Mr. Ripley has been mostly positive, with the film earning a rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four, calling it "an intelligent thriller" that is "insidious in the way it leads us to identify with Tom Ripley ... He's a monster, but we want him to get away with it". In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised Law's performance: "This is a star-making role for the preternaturally talented English actor Jude Law. Beyond being devastatingly good-looking, Mr. Law gives Dickie the manic, teasing powers of manipulation that make him ardently courted by every man or woman he knows". Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A-" rating, with Lisa Schwarzbaum writing: "Damon is at once an obvious choice for the part and a hard sell to audiences soothed by his amiable boyishness ... the facade works surprisingly well when Damon holds that gleaming smile just a few seconds too long, his Eagle Scout eyes fixed just a blink more than the calm gaze of any non-murdering young man. And in that opacity we see horror".

Charlotte O'Sullivan of Sight and Sound wrote, "A tense, troubling thriller, marred only by problems of pacing (the middle section drags) and some implausible characterisation (Meredith's obsession with Ripley never convinces), it's full of vivid, miserable life". Time named it one of the ten best films of the year and called it a "devious twist on the Patricia Highsmith crime novel". James Berardinelli gave the film two and a half stars out of four, calling it "a solid adaptation" that "will hold a viewer's attention," but criticized "Damon's weak performance" and "a running time that's about 15 minutes too long." Berardinelli compared the film unfavorably with the previous adaptation, Purple Noon, which he gave four stars. He wrote, "The remake went back to the source material, Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. The result, while arguably truer to the events of Highsmith's book, is vastly inferior. To say it suffers by comparison to Purple Noon is an understatement. Almost every aspect of Rene Clement's 1960 motion picture is superior to that of Minghella's 1999 version, from the cinematography to the acting to the screenplay. Matt Damon might make a credible Tom Ripley, but only for those who never experienced Alain Delon's portrayal."

In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris wrote, "On balance, The Talented Mr. Ripley is worth seeing more for its undeniably delightful journey than its final destination. Perhaps wall-to-wall amorality and triumphant evil leave too sour an aftertaste even for the most sophisticated anti-Hollywood palate". In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "The Talented Mr. Ripley begins as an ingenious exposition of the great truth about charming people having something to hide: namely, their utter reliance on others. It ends up as a dismayingly unthrilling thriller and bafflingly unconvincing character study". In her review for the Village Voice, Amy Taubin criticized Minghella as a "would-be art film director who never takes his eye off the box office, doesn't allow himself to become embroiled in such complexity. He turns The Talented Mr. Ripley into a splashy tourist trap of a movie. The effect is rather like reading The National Enquirer in a café overlooking the Adriatic". Damon was apparently unhappy with the changes made to Highsmith's novel, telling an interviewer shortly after the film was released, "I'd like to make the whole film all over again with the same cast and same title but make it completely like the book."

Awards

Academy Award nominations

Award Nomination	Nominee
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor	Jude Law
Academy Award for Best Art Direction	Roy Walker Bruno Cesari
Academy Award for Best Costume Design	Ann Roth Gary Jones
Academy Award for Best Original Music Score	Gabriel Yared
Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)	Anthony Minghella

Golden Globe nominations

Award Nomination	Nominee
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama	Matt Damon
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Jude Law
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama	The Talented Mr. Ripley
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score	Gabriel Yared
Golden Globe Award for Best Director	Anthony Minghella

Awards won

• BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor – Jude Law
• Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Supporting Actor - Jude Law
• Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay - Anthony Minghella
• Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Jude Law
• BFCA Award for Best Score – Gabriel Yared
• NBR Award for Best Director – Anthony Minghella
• NBR Award for Best Supporting Actor – Philip Seymour Hoffman
• Writers Guild of America for Best Adapted Screenplay – Anthony Minghella
• National Society of Film Critics for Best Supporting Actor – Philip Seymour Hoffman

See also

• The American Friend (1977)
• Ripley's Game (2002)
• Ripley Under Ground (2005).

External links

• The Talented Mr. Ripley at the Internet Movie Database
• The Talented Mr. Ripley at AllRovi
• The Talented Mr. Ripley at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Talented Mr. Ripley at Metacritic
• Shooting script by Anthony Minghella