Although the script, adapted by director Anthony Minghella from the Patricia Highsmith novel, sometimes teeters on the brink of believability, the strong acting and Minghella’s directorial restraint keep it safe from any risk of plummeting over the edge.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:123
Fresh:101
Rotten:22
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: The Talented Mr. Ripley is an intelligent, classy thriller featuring great performances and visuals.
Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Set against a luxurious Italian backdrop, Anthony Minghella's suspenseful film follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a young New York men's room attendant, who is befriended by the father of a spoiled... Set against a luxurious Italian backdrop, Anthony Minghella's suspenseful film follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a young New York men's room attendant, who is befriended by the father of a spoiled playboy, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). Dickie's father sends Tom to track down his wayward son in Venice and return him to his family in America. Tom, whose talents include forgery and impersonating voices, charms his way into the lives of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), where he experiences first hand how the other half lives. Tom's immediate attraction to Dickie makes apparent his desire to be anyone but himself, and as the friendship develops, his true character begins to emerge. As Dickie grows tired and suspicious of his new acquaintance, Tom sees his new life slipping away. Unwilling to return to his old lifestyle, he takes extreme measures in order to ensure his place in the privileged world that he has grown to love. Establishing an intricate web of lies, Tom himself seems to forget what is real and what is not. [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett
Starring: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, James Rebhorn, Sergio Rubini, Philip Baker Hall, Celia Weston
Director: Anthony Minghella
Director: Anthony Minghella
Screenwriter: Anthony Minghella
Producer: William Horberg, Tom Sternberg
Composer: Gabriel Yared
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Reviews for The Talented Mr. Ripley
It's an Italian feast, spiked with just enough arsenic to make the flavors interesting and dangerous.
In a starry line-up it's Jude Law who commands most presence, playing the charmer so well that his absence in the latter half leaves a gaping void.
Although it goes on one stilled heartbeat too long, Anthony Minghella's masterpiece, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's creepy favorite The Talented Mr. Ripley, is indeed fashioned the old, classical way.
The blend of Minghella's gloss and Damon's steel results in a psychological thriller of huge style and depth. A very good movie.
Familiarity is the watchword of this overblown opus, which neglects holes in the plot to play up its postmodern theme of identity as pastiche -- a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.
The movie gives us enticing sights and sounds, brilliant scenes, gifted actors and artists and at least part of one of the all-time great nerve-jangling thriller plots.
The film is a little longer than it needs to be, but on balance, this is one of the sleekest, most involving mysteries to hit the big screen this year.
The script and its colorful characters are fueled by passionate directing from Anthony Minghella, who fuses both innocence and deadly desire for each of the players in Ripley's web of manipulation.
The film was neither dark enough to horrify, nor emotionally engaging enough to really touch us, and Matt Damon’s acting left us both non-plussed.
The film successfully transmits the lifestyle Tom longs for, as a result of the better-defined character of Dickie, and of the desirability the actor Jude Law effectively projects.
The cast, particularly Law and Hoffman, turn in salary-raising performances.
The Talented Mr. Ripley loses a bit of its steam toward the end, but Minghella has still delivered an extremely provocative and well-made film.
The Master of Suspense would never have turned in a movie this sloppy.
Latest News for The Talented Mr. Ripley
October 03, 2008:
Further Reading: Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker in Abel Ferrara's Mary
As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: A Tomatometer Retrospective
English filmmaker Anthony Minghella had a sparse but critically acclaimed career by the time of his passing today at the age of 54. We turn to the six films Minghella directed,... More...
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: 1954-2008
Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director of The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Cold Mountain, has passed away at the age of 54. More...
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