Rating: 
Summary: is it over yet?
Review: I'm sorry. I usually like this type of movie. The idea was good. The plot was good. But what a dreadfully long, drawn-out movie! Exasurbating the fact that the scenes and dialog in them were slow was the fact that often the mumbled dialog was difficult to understand. The foreign dialog aside (I do not expect to understand Italian--this I can tolerate), I actually rewinded the tape to hear certain lines a second and third time to try to understand what they said, and still I couldn't make it out. I agree with my fellow reviewers that the cinematography was beautifully done, as was the soundtrack. I simply found myself squirming to go do something else about two-thirds through the movie. It's really too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: The Talented Jude Law in mostly fun suspenser
Review: Having seen the earlier French film version - PURPLE NOON - of Patricia Highsmith's novel with Alain Delon perfectly cast as the poisonous Tom Ripley, there was naturally a good deal of curiosity in seeing the latest incarnation. In some ways the newer version exceeds the earlier one, in that Minghella does better with the actors. In terms of script and story, though, PURPLE NOON is the more tightly written and directed, with a tantalizingly satisfying - and indeed more shocking - resolution. Where the current version falters most, however, is in the conception (and perhaps the casting) of the title role. Matt Damon is a good actor, but he is simply not right for this brand of character. Alain Delon's persona for this role was perfectly apt, and his unsettling, spidery Tom Ripley is exactly right: he conveyed something off-kilter and disturbing behind Ripley's easy-going facade that left the viewer both uneasy and filled with a kind of intrigued fascination as to what his next move would be. Damon's naturally likable, college-boy persona is patently unsuited to enact the sort of charming-but-dangerous-under-the-surface shrewdness. When Damon turns killer, he's puzzlingly unconvincing, and the motivations behind the killings seem more dictated by the script rather than by the fundamental nature of the character. In other words, he's not believable. Damon has demonstrated, as in his compelling portrayal of Will Hunting, that he can play "troubled and tortured", but it's of a softer, more vulnerable sort, and he's missing in the kind of coldly quirky, anything goes-edginess of a role like Ripley. It has been suggested elsewhere that Leonardo di Caprio might have been a suitable Ripley, and I agree; he has the capability of playing exactly that feral, dangerous quality that Delon possessed. The two female leads, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett, are excellent, surprisingly so. Actresses of today are never quite believable, in both looks and portrayal, as women of another era. They always seems to be slumming, and more often than not come across as hopelessly contemporary - but Paltrow and Blanchett walk the walk and talk the talk, and look fetchingly glamorous. The real star of the picture though, is Jude Law. Maurice Ronet was OK as the earlier Greenleaf in PURPLE NOON, but Law walks gaily off with THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, exhibiting an infectious joie de vivre, that, despite the character's inherent skunkiness, is nevertheless captivating: this is someone you'd want to party with, to share times of careless laughter, numerous toasts and indulging with in endless roistering. Law is absolutely natural in the rakish ease with which he plays his role; in fact he brings such a lift and presence to the proceedings that when his character is bumped off, the air is let out - poof - and the life is just sucked out of the movie, the fun ends, and so we're stuck with the dull Mr. Ripley. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), the story layout now begins to show inconsistencies, and the series of events that lead to the climax is heavy on plot exposition, unsatisfyingly so, and is lacking in the kind of edge-of-your-seat suspense of the earlier film. In PURPLE NOON, it was intriguing to watch the unpredictable Ripley of Delon maneuver his way craftily around - you almost wanted to see him succeed in his deception, so entertainingly did he play his "game." Damon's Ripley acts (or is made to act) as if scared that his parents will catch him sneaking out of home in the middle of the night: there's no cat-and-mouse vitality in his schemes to stay afloat and out of trouble. Despite the drawbacks, this movie is still a good deal of fun, with great Meditteranean locales and cinematography, and most especially is worth seeing for the star-making performance of Jude Law.
Rating: 
Summary: A flawed but interesting movie
Review: This movie is a bit difficult to review because of some real highs and lows. The plot seems a bit farfetched. A father, meeting a young man who claims to have known his son in college, pays him $1000 to go to Italy to persuade the son to come back home. (I kept wondering why the father himself didn't go or why he didn't just cut off his allowance.) Two of the bright spots are the beautiful Italian scenery (really does make you want to visit) and the acting of Jude Law, the spoiled, erratic son who is wasting away his life in Italy. He makes a rather sterotyptical character seem complicated and sinister. The pace of the movie is good and did keep up my interest, wondering what these troubled young people were going to do next. Gwyneth Paltrow played Jude Law's love interest and seemed like a doormat for his eccentric whims. Matt Damon discovers that he likes Law's and Paltrow's lifestyle and goes to any lengths to make sure that it continues. He attaches himself to them and learns the mannerisms and habits of the idle rich. When they tire of him, the action turns decidedly dark. The last part of the movie is the weakest and the viewer is left rather empty and disappointed at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: A Talent For Murder
Review: Let's get a few things straight - if you were a fan of Anthony Minghella's last film, "'The English Patient'", for its love story and tearjerker ending, then his latest film, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr Ripley", may not be entirely to your liking. But if you enjoyed it because of the pervading suspicion that something sinister lurked beneath the straightforward love story, then you will enjoy this film as it probes in greater depth, the murkier crevices of human nature and identity. The plot goes something like this - Tom Ripley, an impoverished bathroom attendant is offered by chance, the opportunity to travel to Italy, to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, the son of a millionaire shipping magnate. Ripley jumps at the chance and is soon in the charming Italian seaside town of Mongibello, where he finds Dickie living 'la dolce vita' with his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood. Ripley soon becomes enamoured with Dickie's lifestyle and ultimately Dickie himself. He spends several weeks in the company of Dickie and Marge before it becomes apparent that Dickie has grown tired of his company and tries to ditch him - however Ripley is not ready to be ditched, having grown accustomed to this new life. He takes matters into his own hands leading to a terrifying result. What sets this film apart from numerous other thrillers is the character of Ripley himself - the epitome of the anti-hero, his selfish quest for wealth and opportunity, drives the film, but the viewer finds themselves cheering as he takes each step to keep ahead of his pursuers. As suspicion draws near, we are caught up with him as he comes up with another audacious excuse or escape plan. Matt Damon brings Ripley to life, in what must surely be his finest hour - his previous all-American apple pie characters are but a memory as he moves from an impersonater playing for laughs to chilling murderer ready to change identities at the drop of a hat. However his greatest strength is making us sympathise with Ripley, and feel his pain as he is rejected by Dickie. Jude Law as Dickie, the object of his affections, is at once charming and flirtatious but he too hides a darker side, which is only hinted at in the movie. We understand why Ripley falls for him but we also understand, to a point, the actions taken by Ripley. The real disappointment is Gwyneth Paltrow as Dickie's girlfriend Marge - while her role is not strongly written, her tranformation from naive would-be author, as deperate for Dickie's affections as Ripley, to avenging angel in pursuit of Ripley across Italy is never believable. This is clearly a role that has been expanded to fit the needs of an A-list actress, but it doesn't work. Conversely, someone who has too little screen time is Cate Blanchett, as Meredith Logue, the rich and flighty heiress, who falls for Ripley and turns up at the most inconvenient moments. Rounding out the cast is Phillip Seymour Hoffman, playing Freddie Miles, a truly despicable example of the rich American upper class set and his scenes with Damon crackle with tension. While inevitable comparisons have been made with Hitchcock, this film is closer to Claude Chabrol's take on a Ruth Rendell novel, "Judgement In Stone". Both films feature characters caught up in a class struggle, who are rejected and resort to murder. There are some flaws in the film - you almost get the feeling it could have run a little longer and some of the editing is not quite seamless. However these are minor indiscretions in a film that will add to Minghella's reputation not only as a great director but also one prepared to explore the underbelly of the human soul.
Rating:
Summary: Much Better Than I Expected
Review: This movie is a remake of "Purple Noon", A French film made in the 1960s starring Alain Delon. I frankly thought Matt Damon was going to have trouble taking Delon's place. However, writer-director Minghella rewrote the script so that this version is very different from the first one. This version fit Matt Damon very well. The essentials are the same for the two versions. Tom Ripley (Damon) envies Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) his privileged lifestyle and yearns to take his place. He does so. The whole story turns on these elements. However, this version is a lot more homoerotic than the first version. In fact, the dynamic between Damon and Law is so powerful that the two female leads, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett, drag behind in comparison. I wish Jude Law's role could have been much longer. There is also more ambiguity in this version. Does Ripley (Damon) really wish to kill anyone? I was never sure. Damon even somehow looks physically much better when playing his Dickie Greenleaf imposter role than when he plays his real character, Tom Ripley. How he manages this feat, is beyond me. There may have been too many characters in this version which made the plot confusing at various points. Jude Law much deserved his Oscar nomination for playing Greenleaf and I hope this movie opens up a lot more leading film roles for him. If all of the above catches your interest, give this film a try.
Rating:
Summary: The Lucky Mr. Ripley
Review: I was really looking forward to this film, expecting a dark, suspenseful thriller. Boy, was I disappointed! Instead, I sat through a SLOW-paced, over-long, not-too-interesting character portrait with few thrills and no suspense. Matt Damon's Ripley was a bit too subtle for my taste ... I never really knew what was going through his conniving mind. I soon realized that he wasn't the "talented" genius and plotter the hype led me to believe. Instead, Ripley is an incredibly LUCKY opportunist. Fate was smiling on his side. He doesn't cleverly talk his way out of danger as much as "lucks" his way out of it. The most interesting parts of the story are the scenes in which he almost gets found out because of his own stupidity (e.g., keeping Dickie's rings, very poor concealment of his crimes, spending his sudden unexplained wealth, letting witnesses see him, etc.). And just when the suspense starts building and I expected his scheme to come crashing down on him, the authorities simply let him go without much suspicion. Only Marge has him figured out (why, it's never really explained). Everyone else, including Dickie's father, refuse to believe Ripley may be a murderer despite all the evidence. This sort of manipulative story telling strained my credibility to the limit long before the predictable ending on the cruise ship. Bottom line: a disappointing yawner.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst ever made
Review: I think they were looking for an F. Scott Fitzgerald atmosphere here and got Edmund Fitzgerald instead. This movie is what should have gone down with all hands and sunk without a trace. First, it's BORING, BORING and- did I mention- BORING! The "talented" Mr. Ripley finds himself involved with a group of people who are so shallow, self-centered and totally without any redeeming qualities, that you almost cheer as he knocks them off one by one. This is one of those movies you watch with the hope that FINALLY it will pick up and do something. It never does! I cannot believe that I wasted 2 and 1/2 hours of my life on this thing! The plot is preposterous and unresolved. The ending is just another loose end. You are left with the feeling that Mr. Ripley is loose in the world and that if you happen to be some airheaded society type that you may want to lock your doors at night. This movie only needed better acting, writing, direction and a different story to be good. Go on your word processor and look for synonyms of AWFUL and you will find a better description of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT suspense!
Review: I prefer to call this movie The Boring Mr. Ripley, because it certainly is. Beautifully filmed, aptly acted, long? Yes! Suspenseful (as claimed)? NO! This movie is 2.5 hours that seems to drag on for 5 hours. Thomas Ripley is about as threatening and imposing as my niece. But to each his own I guess.
Rating:
Summary: A bloody lullaby
Review: Every year, certain films are released that are completely misunderstood, either by critics, or by the movie-going public and Anthony Minghella's take on the Patricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr Ripley" falls into this category. It was perceived as a suspense thriller, which the trailer did nothing to dispel but it is so much more than that. It is a thought provoking character study of a man so uncomfortable with his own personality that he must try an inhabit that of another man, the unfortunate Dickie Greenleaf. However to do so means a few murders and this is where the film gets its marquee appeal. Matt Damon invests the role with such subtlety that you are taken by surprise - no longer the apple-pie boy of past films, here he is a sad character, and one which the audience feels for, despite resorting to murder. It is a standout performance which deserves far greater recognition. Jude Law confirms his status as the new star in the sky (remember Joseph Fiennes?) and delivers his dark prey to the willing Ripley. And Gwyneth Paltrow confirms her status as the new Grace Kelly - so bright at the beginning of the film but by its end her mood is much more sombre as she tries to expose Ripley. The rest of the cast are uniformly excellent with Cate Blanchett adding to her CV with another brilliant turn. This is a superb movie and I advise anyone who hasn't seen it to do so immediately. A thought-provoking supremely literate and at times, bloody scary film.
Rating:
Summary: The Talentless and Boring Mr. Ripley
Review: My sister and I had similar ideas about this movie, though we related them in slightly different terms. Where I said the movie starts slows, finishes slow, and nowhere in between does it pick up any speed, she simply said, there's two hours and twenty minutes of my life that I'll never get back. Picking the lint from out between your toes is a more worthwhile occupation than watching this snore fest. The quality of the acting was akin to something you might see in a B movie, however, without the laughs you usually attain from watching such a production. No one seemed to be having a good time filming this movie, and no one portrayed a character even worth knowing. The characters were dull and lifeless, and inspired absolutely no feeling on the part of the audience. Everyone in the movie was amoral, boring, and full of themselves. It wasn't possible to generate a bit of interest in any of them, nor did I feel a shred of compassion for even the ones who end up getting killed. The moral of the movie: Leech onto someone and get whatever you can from them until they turn on you, then kill them, and go leech somewhere else. Charming, isn't it?
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