The Talented Mr. Ripley--A
Cast: (in alphabetical order) Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, James Rebhorn
Directed By: Anthony Minghella
Rated R


Have you ever wanted to be someone else? At one point or another, everyone has. Even if it's a movie star, you parents, or a character on a TV show or in a movie. The new film The Talented Mr. Ripley deals with this scenario, except the main character Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) doesn't want to be any of the above, he wants to be his friend Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). Don’t worry, that's only one aspect of the film. It also deals with the repercussions of his actions. Now, by repercussions, I don't mean jail or anything like that. It's more personal than that, and you'll see what I man when you watch the film.

The story is actually quite simple. A feeble piano player that probably doesn't even have a penny to his name (his name, by the way, is Tom Ripley), after playing a party, a rich couple notices the Princeton emblem on his blazer (which he borrowed from a friend). This couple happens to be the Greenleaf's. Their son, Dickie, has been living in Italy for some time now, and his parents, assuming that Tom and Dickie knew each other at school, give Tom $1000.00 to go and bring him back.

When Tom is on his way to Italy, he runs into a beautiful, rich, young woman named Meredith Logue (Cate Blanchett), thinking he'll never see her again, he introduces himself as Dickie Greenleaf (mistake number one, because, low and behold she shows up again…a few more times in fact). When he finally gets to Italy, he finds Dickie and his girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), and quickly forges a friendship with both of them. Dickie, though, is getting tired of Tom real fast. He's the kind of person who treasures you when he first meets you, but after you've been friends for a while, he throws you out like an old ragdoll. It's tragic really. I'm not going to say anymore about the plot for fear of ruining it for all you that haven't seen it.

I will say that audiences because of the sexual preference of the main character (Tom) may shun this film. He's clearly gay (or bisexual). Dickie, on the other hand, is not. Sometimes, though, I got the feeling that he might want more than just a friendship between the two. It's never said for a fact, but the sexual tension is definitely there. I think that helps the story, though. I think that Tom may have taken notice of this which caused him and Dickie to be very close, and that makes what happens later on in the movie all the more shocking and grotesque.

It's obvious that at times, Tom looses his cool. He says certain things and commits murders. Murders that are not premeditated. After the murders, though, he gains his control back and is able to cover them up. This means he is able to think fast on his feet. That trait comes in quite handy in a tight, cat-and-mouse game like this. It's like a chess game. Tom against the police. Tom against Marge. Tom against Mr. Greenleaf. Tom against Meredith. Well, maybe not Meredith too much. I mean, it's hard for him to live a double life, which is necessary when Meredith and Marge end up being in the same city together for the opera. That might sound bad for Tom (he's at the opera with Meredith), but in all actuality, it's cenvenient that that happens because Meredith believes she's there with Dickie. When she meets an old friend, Peter Smith Kingsley (Jack Davenport), who is there with Marge, she tells them that she's there with Dickie. That's how the movie works, it's all lies and deceptions. Now, Marge is upset with Meredith, even though they have never met, and that gets rid of Meredith. For a while, she comes back at the end.

In 1996, Anthony Minghella directed The English Patient. Many thought it was his tribute to David Lean (director of Lawrence of Arabia). Ripley is, I believe, his homage to Alfred Hitchcock. He sustains the tension like Hitchcock did. Throughout Hitchcock's films, there was always a tense feeling of suspence. That same tense feeling is employed here. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Most of Hitch's films were twisty cat-and-mouse games with satisfying endings. Some may consider Ripley to not have a satisfying ending. I, for one, think it does. It's abrupt, but how else could it have ended? Who else could he have killed and actually got away with it? No one. So, in a way, it was satisfying to me, but other moviegoers may have a problem with it's abruptness like they did with The Blair Witch Project. Both endings just kind of happen, and both are perfect for their respected films.

I don't think that there's a weak performance in the bunch. Despite much controversy, by critics and such, I think Damon is very good in the lead role. He does what he is supposed to do, which means drawing us into the character and making us feel sorry for him when things don't go his way. We are secretly rooting for him to get away with everything even though we know it's wrong. Jude Law has come a long way since this year's eXistenZ. He gives the character the much needed energy and actually manages to make us like him, that is, until he gets tired of Tom (who we've cared about all along). Gwyneth Paltrow's role is practically forgotten about in the middle of the film. She did give a strong supporting performance though. Philip Seymour Hoffman is fine as Dickie's playboy best friend (who Tom dislikes). Perhaps Cate Blanchett is the revelation here. Though it's a small, supporting role, she gives it everything she's got and makes the character a tour-de-force. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm a big fan, but I thought she would make a better Marge than Gwyneth. Both actresses are fine in their roles.

Anthony Minghella crafts a beautifully shot and acted motion picture that makes you both think and become totally enraptured in what's on the screen.




Brian Jones-1999