Review of Ripley's Game (2002) by Afzal S — 01 Jun 2008

Ripley's Game so easily looks like a take-the-money-and-run sequel, a cheap European production, riding on the back of Minghella's Talented Mr Ripley. It was in this low, desultory mood that I started watching it late at night on channel 4. I couldn't have been so off- Ripley's Game is an antidote to the generic crime thriller, as it captures the best of crime writing from the likes of Simenon and of course Highsmith, who wrote the novel the film is based on.

In the form of the perfectly-cast Malkovich, Ripley's Game focuses on the con man to illustrate the many clashing facets (or should that be masks and disguises?) humanity adopts in its constant war between confusing notions of civilisation and barbarism.

Characteristic of Cavani's output, Ripley's game is willing to flirt with dangerous, darkly comic revisions of archetypal characters such as 'criminal' and 'victim'.

But unlike her earlier films, such as The Night Porter, Ripley's Game manages to strike the perfect balance between comedy, violence, sex and intellectual enquiry- it seems to me to have the richness and depth of a novel, and at the same time also the suspense, force and dark beauty of film noir.

No doubt that Malkovich is the main reason for the success of the film, no other 'marquee' actor could have been the conduit in bringing such a complex character to the screen. But the supporting cast is also brilliant- Dougray Scott is wonderful as the English stooge gone wrong and Lena Headey and Ray Winstone are strong too.