Rating: 
Summary: Visually/Acoustically Stunning -- Disturbing Story
Review: After the fanfare for this critically acclaimed box office smash had died down, I finally got to see "The Talented Mr. Ripley". The breathtaking location cinematography (filmed in various historic Italian cities), meticulously tranformed into late 1950s authenticity, along with stunning period costume designs an aluring Jazz score, this film has many elements of a soon to be classic.Matt Damon is convincing (which may not be a good thing) as the liar/identity thief/murderer with seemingly no scruples about his loathesome doings. Fans may be turned off by the character's darkness. Hints at the two male lead characters' homosexuality add to the apparent aimlessness of the story. Watching "Mr. Ripley" can be compared to a roller coaster ride that ends with all cars getting stuck somewhere near the top of the coaster, wondering "what was that?". The production values will satisfy even those who don't quite "get it". There definitely are some loose ends that nobody bothered to fully explain. Fans of classic cinema who look for colorful production values (a la Three Coins In The Fountain) will enjoy this otherwise very unusual (thus not for everyone's taste) film. Not suitable for pre-teens due to brief but extreme violence and sexual situations...
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, Pointless, Stupid
Review: The entire time that I watched this movie, I thought, "what is this getting to?" The end FINALLY came, and I thought, "Oh, it came to nothing." There was no point to the Talented Mr. Ripley. The entire film was boring, giving the viewer little to no excitement. I couldn't get into it. I didn't really know what was going to happen next, but I didn't really care! The performances were fine, and the visual design was excellent. It was a very colorful movie. It was just stupid. Matt Damon portrayed Mr. Ripley, a gay con artist, murdering psychopath who tried to live several identities and got himself into some serious trouble. Let that sentence be enough, because that pretty much sums up a waste of two hours and twenty minutes. Don't see this movie expecting thrills. Expect yawns. The R rating is not the heaviest of them all. Mostly for some violence. There was also a meager amount of profanity, and some brief nudity. I wouldn't recommend The Talented Mr. Ripley to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: The Talented Mr. Ripley
Review: Ok - The plot is deep. This is a well-thought thriller and could have been far more successful than it was...with a few alterations. Jude Law & Gwenyth Paltrow shine (as ever) Philip-Seymour...whoever also played a good part as the slightly freakish friend of Law's character. The big let down was Matt Damon - Now I am not a fan of his...I think someone else should have been cast in his place as for me Damon has no sparkle in films whatsoever. Blanchett was wasted in her role - for such a high profile actress it was a shame not to see that much of her (especially after watching her light up Elizabeth!).
Overall this is definately worth watching - if you like well-thought thrillers with real depth then this is for you...if on the other hand you like shallow flicks then I would advise you don't watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Rich & Colorful
Review: Director Anthony Minghella seems to have most his movies set geographically in European countries (Talented Mr.Ripley & The English Patient). This wonderful movie was set in Italy. The backdrops, the views, and the strikingly beautiful cinematography was just a little piece of how great this movie was. It featured some fabulous music from great jazz musicians such as Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins. This movie had the best plot by far, and the characters couldn't have been better done by Matt Damon and my favorite, Jude Law - who was great in Enemy at The Gates. This film leaves a different sense to it and the only way to experience it is to watch it. Fine actors, fine location, fine directing; couldn't have asked for more, no other movie matches to this one.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful backdrop
Review: Enticing plot. Matt Damon is convincing as a charming manipulative psychopath. GORGEOUS backdrop. I'd watch the movie just to fall in love with the beautiful scenery all over again. The soundtrack is great too, particularly that one song where Jude Law was performing with the rest of the band in the movie.
Rating:
Summary: damn good remake
Review: I'm one of those nostalgics who often claim things were done better and with more style in a long gone past I haven't experienced myself: the original Mini Cooper vs. the new one, publicity, design, music.... (Name me one song comparable to 2 minute-pearls such as "Bus stop" or "No milk today" made those last 5 years ???) Another of my prejudices is to think too often that modern American movies only excel in spfx and bold dialogs, while movies from the Old Continent stand for style and a more realistic and less bombastic approach. However, recently, I bought a copy of "Plein soleil" (VHS), a 1960 movie based upon the same Patricia Highsmith bestseller as "The talented Mr. Ripley". With French superstar Alain Delon cast as Tom Ripley, understanable that my expectations were high while standing with my nose against the glass doors of the shelf in the second hand shop. Furthermore, the presence of singer Marie Laforet in the movie seemed to be an interesting bonus. Well, the 1999/US-version of "The talented Mr. Ripley" beats the French 1960-version in almost every way: a far better casting (f.i. Matt Damon: ideal mix of angelic looks and weird behaviour), locations and interiors with far more style... But THE argument why the remake definetely beats the original is the way in which it gradually builds towards its climax. This is done so well and subtle (slowly but NOT too slowly), that -according to me- this is one of the best movies in its kind of the 1990's.
Rating:
Summary: The Talented Mr. Ripley
Review: I can see how this would be a good novel or play. As a movie, the pace was off. It was bogged down in details. The slow character development was tedious, leaving you to wonder when ANYTHING was going to happen. From the point where Mr. Ripley kills Dickie Greenleaf, I watched in anticipation of seeing this vile person captured. Instead, Ripley misleads some pretty dim characters. He's not even a convincing liar. He gets nervous and sweaty each time. That he spent Dickie's money without remorse repulsed me more than anything else did. I wondered when the film would end repeatedly. It was sheer torture to spend so much time in the company of a loathsome con artist/serial killer. I would never willingly watch this film again. Matt Damon did an excellent job and I still can't stand to look at him to this day because of it.
Rating:
Summary: AMBIGUOUS, DARK, FANTASTIC MUSIC!
Review: The movie is 'beautifully' ambiguous. It is beautiful, not in any metaphorical sense, but it actually looks 'good', on the surface. Everything; right from the manner in which the starting credits are shown (especially the way the movie title is presented) to stunning camera angles, from some great vantage points. The movie is set somewhere in the midst of the late 50's; so every detail has been catered to, in order to create an aura of 'those old days'. Most of the settings of the movie is based in Italy, and the visuals of the place is the stuff of heavens: the claustrophobic 'tiled' roads, the 'out -of -date' and 'uncared for' vehicles, the enchantingly blue ocean, the 'dreamy' houses with grand décor, even the corpulent 'ice - box', et al. It is the most aesthetically pleasing movie I have ever seen, or maybe I have been missing out on good - looking movies. This is as far as one of the aspects of the movie goes, and is a good reason to watch the flick.
A better reason to view this motion picture, goes as follows:
There is much more to this movie than meets the eye. The plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of a young, small - time con - man, Tom Ripley, who ventures into an unusual business of convincing a very rich and spoilt brat ('Dickie Greenleaf') of this humongous business magnate ('Herbert Greenleaf') to return to his father and stop being a worthless ... The movie actually begins when Ripley goes to Italy to confront Dickie, as entrusted by Herbert Greenleaf, lured by the promise of a reward of a thousand dollars; then, a lot of things begin to happen, which make up the movie.
The picture, basically, throws a light on the various facets of Ripley's persona. Ripley is presented as this very normal, lonely person. He is, however, quite talented. He plays the piano well, and has the unique ability to impersonate people, feign people's hand - writing, signature, etc.; and he uses these qualities to make a living. Lonely, insecure and lovelorn Mr. Ripley instantly finds a liking towards Dickie Greenleaf, when Greenleaf shows a brotherly affection towards him. ... Sexually confused, yet calm, Mr. Ripley also finds affinity towards other people: Marge Sherwood, Meredith Logue, and Peter Smith-Kingsley. Muffled, he is; also he is sensitive... A moving scene at the opera succeeds in Ripley, jerking a couple of teardrops.. Also, ...the last scene of the movie, shot brilliantly, with multiple images of Ripley crying, from aptly angled mirrors, which leaves the conclusion of the movie, upto the viewer, to decide. Ripley doesn't like who he is. He uses his feigning qualities in impersonating the rich kid, Dickie, himself, which he quite well succeeds in doing so. All in all, director Anthony Minghella has done a fantastic job in successfully portraying the less pleasing human sides, by using Matt Damon as a guinea -pig. Matt, too does an impressive job in displaying the lesser characteristics of human emotions, quite effectively.
The movie has a dark undercurrent and is, at times, also frightening: all this, in a very subtle sense. There is hardly any [bad] 'orchestral' music at critical moments, telling the viewers, when to feel any kind of emotion, appropriate for the situation. The feel is quite stolid, adding an eerie effect to the movie. In fact, the movie has a lot of fantastic jazz music, all throughout its duration and adds its own charm to the feel of the movie.
An intelligent movie, if you don't prefer a 'depressing' flick, watch it for the wonderful music and the masterful cinematography and choice of locations, and eventually, you will end up liking even the 'depression' of it.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, it's gorgeous, but...
Review: ...maybe the most fascinating part of this DVD is the extras, where it becomes clear that neither the director nor any of the cast members have the faintest idea what the film is about. So for all of TMR's ample beauty, it's the blindness of those who made it that makes for wildly fun viewing. The plot is drawn from a diabolical story by Patricia Highsmith, and two pathologies are at the heart of her version: narcissism and its companion, inverted narcissism. Dickie Greenleaf is attractive and possesses a cold-eyed charm, but he's also careless of others, devoid of empathy, fickle, undisciplined, and ultimately brutal--all the traits of a classic narcissist. Tom Ripley is a classic inverted narcissist--calculating, pathologically deceitful, but ultimately empty without the sustenance of a captivating other such as Greenleaf. In Highsmith's version, the whole point of the story is that Greenleaf and Ripley are BOTH incorrigible villains. Highsmith has no heroes--creeps and crooks and dull competents abound, and they all get duped in the end. The few characters with redeeming qualities are decimated or murdered. Kindness, trust and empathy mean nothing to the awful duo of Greenleaf and Ripley, who manipulate and damage everyone around them, including each other. Highsmith's vision is utterly wicked. That's the whole point. But the director Minghella botches it, trying to show a sympathetic side to the monstrously empty Ripley--a ridiculous misstep. Inverted narcissists NEVER feel empathy, and their sense of guilt is shallow at best--watch how Ripley, despite appalling trauma, switches love interests without skipping a beat. Minghella somehow misses this, despite making sure we all know that he's read the book several times, and had some of his own writing compared to Highsmith's (pat yourself on the back some more, Antony). Minghella goes on to praise his own direction, and credit his own insight into why he changes the plot--funnily enough, this is just what a narcissist would do. And in the interviews, the poor actors fall into a different trap, insisting TMR's message is that it's important to be true to yourself--silly claptrap which has nothing to do with the deep pathology and delicious wickedness of the story. Greenleaf and Ripley are too far gone for platitudes. It's evil against evil, and good is no match. So while it's well-acted and beautifully shot, the real sport of this DVD is to watch the misread genius of Highsmith sputter through a mildly narcissistic director's pretty good (but not great) depiction of a hardcore, totally gone narcissist. Fun stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: I've spent some time reading the other reviews on this site and I'm a little upset that the first few reviews I read were all negative, so I'd like to add a positive one. Unforuntately, most people that I've talked to didn't like the movie for various reasons. I, on the other hand, thought it was fabulous. The plot was inventive and the twist for an ending left me speechless in the theater. Yes, the plot has holes - but show me Hollywood movie was a flawless plot. I found the main cast fabulous, including even the terrible Freddie Miles who I probably would've strangled with my own hand. Please go see the movie. I never found it boring, but quite the opposite. Give it a chance!
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