“Talented Mr. Ripley” is a moralizing psychological thriller created by the director and co-author of the script by Anthony Mingella based on the work of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, telling about the misadventures of the main character - the swindler Tom Ripley. The novel was already filmed in 1960, the French film directed by Rene Clement was called “In the Bright Sun”, very famous actors were shot in it. The “talented Mr. Ripley” by Anthony Mingella is worth a look at least in order to compare with the French counterpart, which has become a classic.
Plot
The protagonist, a young American guy Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a piano tuner, and very ordinary, at the urgent request of an oligarch goes to Europe. He must find and return to his native land the only son, the heir to an elderly tycoon, the careless major of Greenflee, Jr. Dickie (Jude Law). The latter ruthlessly burns the inheritance of his millionaire father and girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) in Italy. The acquaintance of Tom and Dickie leads the protagonist to a certain obsession, opening the ambitious Ripley chic prospects, providing a variety of opportunities for self-assertion. The poor American feels all the charm of life in luxury, his ambitions, which do not have moral restrictions, break free. It was here that his amazing talent for reincarnation came in handy for Tom, he brazenly steals material wealth from Dicky, after his personality - manners, name, handwriting, character and relationship, and not only with his girlfriend Marge. Tom, introducing himself as Greenflee Jr., begins an affair with the high-profile girl Meredith Log (Cate Blanchett). And then - more, in the final, he will take away Dicky's highest value - life. Such diverse characters were embodied on the screen by well-known actors. "Talented Mr. Ripley" puts pressure on morality, indicating immoral behavior of the protagonist performed by Matt Damon.
Characters and actors. Tom Ripley
The underlying story of a man from the bottom, seeking in any way to take a “place in the sun”, was put forward by Anthony Minghela convincingly, with genuine drama, with the disclosure of the verified characters' characters. The actors made an undoubted contribution to the common cause. “Talented Mr. Ripley” would not have been so soulful without the lead actor Matt Damon, who is familiar to the viewer from the Dogma movie. The actor, deprived of the classic beauty of Delon, endowed his hero with the ingenuity of a chameleon, who knows how to adapt to the world around him. It was originally planned that the image of the protagonist was supposed to be embodied by Tom Cruise, but after watching the director of the film “Good Will Hunting”, Matt Damon was approved for the main role. Anthony Mingella did not lose, Damon perfectly played a slug, ready to go even to kill from the realization of his own worthlessness and insignificance. A real poisonous snake, building itself an innocent snake.
Dicky Greenfly Jr
The performer of the second main male role, Jude Law, built his game in a vein similar to the image of Maurice Rone from a 1960 film. His hero is a real major, pampered and rich in playboy, who does not hide his superiority over others, condescendingly refers to an occasional friend Tom. The demonstrated ability to transform was appreciated by all the actors. “Talented Mr. Ripley” will be remembered by Damon and Low for the fact that during the filming the actors had to learn to play musical instruments: piano and saxophone, respectively. Moreover, during the shooting of the episode of the death of his hero, Jude Law managed to fall so off the boat that he broke a rib.
Margie Sherwood
The image of Margie is similar and extremely close in both French and American versions. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow failed in this project to "drag the blanket over herself." Few people were indescribably delighted with her game. However, critics' reviews are full of admiration and meritorious reviews. Especially the actress succeeded in a scene in which her heroine, beside herself with horror, had to beat at the door, trying to save herself from Tom walking towards her with a knife. In this episode, Paltrow demonstrated amazing dramatic talent. In addition to film critics, her professionalism was appreciated by the entire film crew, including colleagues in the workshop - actors. "Talented Mr. Ripley" brought the actress fame and fame.
Meredith Log
The image of the deceived Tom under the name of Dickie the high-society girl was embodied on the screen by Cate Blanchett. The actress played a small supporting role - the wealthy aristocrat Meredith Log. Anthony Mingella, inviting the actress to participate in the project, was seriously afraid that the Hollywood star would refuse an insignificant role. However, Kate, after re-reading the script, gave her consent. To celebrate, together with the second screenwriter Patricia, Highsmith Mingella adjusted the script, increasing the length of the scenes in which the heroine Blanchett was involved. By the way, in the literary source of such a character did not exist at all. For the performance of this role, the actress was nominated as the best supporting actress for the BAFTA award.
Bright but secondary
Jack Davenport, a British film actor, is known to the domestic audience for the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”. In Ripley, he played the role of Peter Smith-Kingsley, and reaffirmed his favorite role. The reputation of the actor, brilliantly playing clumsy or arrogant characters, was confirmed in the brainchild of Mingella. The Italian actress Stephanie Rocca, who played the episodic role of Sylvanas, also appeared in the film. The girl is known to a wide audience by the films "Paradise", "Nirvana".
Summary
The direction of Anthony Mingella is accurate in details, carefully verified. Perhaps that is why the film unwittingly acquires the moralizing inherent in high-quality old-fashioned paintings. The visual part of the tape is strictly designed in the style of color cinema of the 50s. The sound of the dolby digital system (surround sound) is also not satisfactory. If you add to this the magnificent game of Jude Law and Matt Damon, the lack of the traditional, but boring “happy end” (happy ending), you get a film that is definitely worth a look. There is in it that charm that is available in the film adaptations of famous novels. Such tapes differ significantly from other Hollywood projects by the incomparable depth of the plot and the unpredictability of scenario twists. Moreover, the picture looks dynamic, without sagging sags, despite the fact that its timing exceeds two hours. We summarize - the film can be recommended for viewing. This is a rather instructive tape, motivating to reassess your aspirations, actions, encouraging you to think about your life and worldly position.