The Talented Mr Ripley
(1999)
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Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name, Minghella's moody follow-up to his Oscar-winning THE ENGLISH PATIENT concerns Tom Ripley, a poor New Yorker, who is sent to Italy by the wealthy Mr. Greenleaf in order to bring back his spoiled son, Dickie. Once in Italy, Tom charms his way into the home of Dickie and his girlfriend Marge, where he begins to get a taste of wealthy living. When Tom begins to wear out his welcome, he takes drastic actions to ensure that he will never have to return to the life that he left behind. |
Director Anthony Minghella followed his award-winning The English Patient with this absorbing thriller, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Matt Damon plays Ripley, a young opportunist who seeks out Dickie Greenleaf (Oscar-nominated Jude Law), an American playboy living it up in Europe. Ripley becomes friends with Dickie, but gradually comes to covet the carefree lifestyle he shares with his glamorous girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow). Minghella's classy direction and the superior cast make this never less than compelling.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Glamorous thriller of class warfare and homosexual obsession, often engrossing but much too long.