Review of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) by Moni K — 08 Feb 2011

Always entertaining and incredibly well-acted, Minghella's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's legendary novel captures most of the wonder and mystery of her Italian odyssey. Where it fails, however, is in the important characterization of Tom Ripley himself.

Highsmith's character, who was so devilishly clever and amoral, is here undercooked. In the novel he was a sociopath through and through, a person who killed always by premeditation and never without (his own twisted) reason.

Minghella's translation is far more tame, a man who kills not out of instinct or hunger but out of necessity and accident. He isn't too different from the rest of the characters in the film save for his ability to follow through on a macabre kind of clean-up of his problems.

This doesn't break the film, it just eliminates the real attraction Ripley as he was conceived on page. Damon is good, but it is his supporting cast- Paltrow, Hoffman and Blanchett in particular- who give the film its weight.

Crisp and stylish editing by the great Walter Murch capture the jazzy oblique lines of the story visually, making the whole thing a feast for the senses.