The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Matt Damon carries this complex and unconventional thriller. Great production values.

Jude Law was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Talented Mr. Ripley; Matt Damon was not. To this day, I think there was a mistake while submitting the "for your consideration" names to the Academy. Jude Law wasn't really given anything to do in the film, besides look incredibly handsome and emit an aura of appeal. Matt Damon, the title character, gave a tour-de-force performance deserving of a win-the only way to explain his lack of a nomination is if there was a mistake.Matt Damon plays a very troubled young man who longs for attention, acceptance, and love. He doesn't feel those things when he's himself; the only way he feels complete and alive is when he pretends to be someone else. For example, he borrows a fancy dinner jacket and attends a party, someone mistakes him for a well-to-do Princeton graduate, and he transforms into the man he's thought to be. He enjoys his disguise and likes it infinitely better than his own skin. The subtleties Matt Damon brings to his performance are breathtaking. A lesser actor would have played the part differently, and the film-despite Anthony Minghella's beautiful directing and Gabriel Yared's intense music-would have felt a little cheap. Matt Damon truly becomes Mr. Ripley, just as convincingly as Mr. Ripley becomes other people. You can see every reason behind his behavior clearly on his face, and every hurt, shame, doubt, and fear is communicated delicately between him and the camera. It's an incredible performance.A host of familiar faces join the supporting cast, including Cate Blanchett, James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, Jack Davenport, Celia Weston, and Gwyneth Paltrow, as Jude Law's girlfriend. I've always felt Gwyneth to be exceptionally talented at blending into her roles. She's just as convincing in Emma as she is in Shallow Hal, and in this film, she seems completely at home in her 1950s surroundings.Depending on how dark you like your movies, you might hate The Talented Mr. Ripley or you might add it to your collection to watch on dark, spooky evenings. I've seen it twice, because I love films with fantastic acting in them. Just be aware it isn't for the faint of heart, and there are some pretty upsetting scenes in it.Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Off my back the musical backgrounds to "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is really ear-friendly thanks to the great composer Gabriel Yared. The score is very reminiscent to the classic scores from the old Alfred Hitchcock films that Bernard Hermann contributed to like "Vertigo", "North By Northwest", and the always crowd-pleasing "Psycho". The opening titles has that feeling like Hitchcock as the picture slowly materializes into a stream of different colours. However, the film falls flat in trying to be a modern-day Hitchcock film, because the Master of Suspense would never consider making something so disjointed and muddled.Under the direction of Anthony Minghella who directed the riveting ghost romance "Truly Madly Deeply" and the overlong and mundane "The English Patient", which won him an Oscar in hopes to repeat himself here as well being that this film is also within the 2 hour and 30 minute range. That's five times longer than Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" with the difference being that Hitchcock's film starts slow and the intensity builds up as the film progresses. Minghella's film fizzles as it goes along and ends without any kind of logic once the credits roll.Set in the 1950's, Matt Damon stars as Tom Ripley, a low-income musician who gets mistaken for a Princeton graduate. When approached by a wealthy shipbuilder Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn), he's assigned to go to Italy to bring his son Dickie (Jude Law) back home. Dickie is enjoying the life there with his wife Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow). Ripley get adjusted to this lifestyle and does everything he can to nurture it as much as possible. Damon and Paltrow have been good in many films, but here, they seem to be streaming along with very little complexity. Jude Law seems type-cast in roles he's played before like "In the Garden of Good and Evil" and "Wilde". The real standout performances are by Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but they're just fillers and it saddens me to see how underused they were.I went to see the film because I was fascinated by the wonderful novel it was based on by Patricia Highsmith who also is known for her book "Strangers on a Train". The movie looks good when wrapping up around the two hour mark, but instead we're forced down out throats with a unnecessary scene by dawning Ripley's homosexual urges which before then was only pondered upon. The gay subtext was only meant to be a mystery and should never have been revealed. This is just another fine line of Hollywood clichés of gay serial killers which to this point has become homophobic and inexcusable.On the positive side of this movie, it's great to see the legendary Walter Murch in charge of the sound design and the editing. He's done plenty of collaborations of some of the biggest films in cinema including "The Godfather Trilogy", "Apocalypse Now", and "The English Patient". His specialty is cutting a scene with its sound to follow and it proves effectively in this suspenseful drama. It's probably the best thing about this movie that's worthy of a second look.The first hour of the movie was incredible and I enjoyed it very well. Still I have my doubts if its highly recommendable. It could be to some extent, however I get better satisfaction watching classic suspense films like "North By Northwest" and the original incarnation of this film Rene Clement's "Purple Noon".

Anthony Minghella's tale of corruption and deceit feels like a movie made during the Golden Age of Hollywood. With 1950s Europe serving as the backdrop of the story, and the classical jazz soundtrack playing throughout the entirety, it is hard not to feel the nostalgia of the cinema's classical era roaming through this psychological thriller. Minghella takes from the pages of Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name to orchestrate a compelling, if somewhat flawed tale of a man consumed by corruption and deceit when the things make a horribly wrong turn. The versatile actor masked behind the titular character is Matt Damon who made a household name for himself when it starred with Robin Williams as the eponymous character in 'Good Will Hunting'. What comes about this actor's immersive talent is a performance that works like a charm. Set in the 1950s, this film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a Manhattan pianist who's approached by Herbert Greenleaf (played by James Rehborn) who believes Ripley is a graduate from Princeton University, seeing a Princeton badge on his tuxedo. He recruits him on a mission to Italy and finds his son Dickie (played by Jude Law), a spoiled millionaire and graduate of Princeton, and persuade him to return home to the U.S. Upon arrival, Ripley comes face-to-face with Dickie and his fiancée Marge (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) and almost immediately befriends. After a few nights of drinking and jazz concerts, his errand becomes difficult when Dickie learns of his intentions. When the things suddenly go horribly wrong, Ripley takes extreme measures to carry out the mission while avoiding the suspicion of Dickie's friend Freddie Miles (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman).This film shows clear evidence that Anthony Minghella knows how to craft a fascinating story, even when it falls victim to a lethargic pace. The film spends an almost overwhelming amount of time to establish its premise before the plot finally kicks into gear. Although the setup pays off quite well, the pacing is enough to alienate viewers who are often accustomed to more modern-esque storytelling. But when the plot finally lights its candle, that is when the story generates a wheelhouse of unexpected twists and surprises that elevates the lead character's development. The title character's disintegration of his moral compass becomes the driving force of the story, and becomes the main source of surprises as he goes to shocking measures to deceive everyone into the person he is not. It takes a special actor like Matt Damon to effectively portray the wicked and complex nature of the lead character. His chemistry with Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow works fantastically, especially with their performances serving a great support. Law gives a fantastic portrayal as the spoiled, larger-than-life millionaire who wants nothing more than to a luxurious lifestyle. Phillip Seymour and Cate Blanchett also make a charming on screen presence, nothing out of the ordinary. In the account of visual imagery, the production design of 1950s Italy is utter eye candy and serves as an absorbing backdrop of the story's historical era. The jazz music, the vintage interior design of the Italian households both serve the film is sweet visual treat.The Talented Mr. Ripley is a fine piece of work conducted by Anthony Minghella with a performance by Matt Damon that shines with passion, and a beautifully executed story that tackles on the complexities of its startling eponymous character. Minghella's take on this dark, but fascinating story does not come out its flaws nor does it break the boundaries of any cinematic element, it is finely crafted piece of work that can some can somewhat admire.