NAMELESS AND FAMELESS

things go. The video reviews will be held off indefinitely, and there will likely be no news or opinion pieces, strictly written reviews while I juggle schoolwork. However, come holiday time, who knows what could happen. But with apologies out of the way, let's talk about The Talented Mr. Ripley.

 

Going into this film, I had enough information to have expected a specific type of movie. It was a thriller, from the director of The English Patient, and it was based on a book from the 1950's. The plot synopsis I went in with had me believing that The Talented Mr. Ripley was a film about a young man, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), who is paid $1,000 in 1955 to travel to Italy and convince a millionaire's son (Dickie Greenleaf, played by Jude Law) to come home to America. I knew the film was a thriller, and expected it to follow Tom as he hides his ulterior motives, falls for Dickie's girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), causing an intense love triangle to begin. Aside from accurately predicting that all three actors played the characters they played, I was completely wrong. The Talented Mr. Ripley is not the story of a young man on a secret mission; it's the story of a young man discovering his absence of conscience and, importantly, an interesting talent; being someone else. I won't say any more about the plot, as I don't want to give too much away, but it's certainly not what you expect going in. I will say this, though; this film reminds me of last year's Gone Girl, in the sense that you think it is headed in one direction and a third of the way through BAM! - you're headed somewhere else.

 

Let's talk performances. First off, Matt Damon knocks the role of Tom Ripley out of the park. He breathes life into Patricia Highsmith's titular character, an enigmatic sociopath who is flawless in convincing everyone but the audience that he is whoever he wants to be. He manages to drop every bit of love, hate, sadness, joy, laughter, fun and darkness into this role that you can see in a myriad performances but he does it is done in such a way that we know it's all forced, all the while being just as convincing in his emotion as any other actor. Just as much praise, however, must be passed to the Oscar-nominated Jude Law for his performance as Dickie Greenleaf. From the beginning Jude law nails the pompous, carefree nature of the stereotypical rebellious rich boy, while maintaining an undercurrent of mystery and intrigue. There is something about Dickie, something constantly under his skin that we can see slowly preparing to rise to the surface. But all the while, Law allows Dickie to enamel himself in enough alcohol and jazz to keep these demons at bay. The only sentence I think that truly describes Dickie Greenleaf is 'the calm before the storm', which is perfectly seen in a particular moment between Dickie and Tom in a small boat out in the ocean. Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow is effective as the equal parts love struck and love sick Marge Sherwood. As tensions rise and both Tom and Dickie become increasingly erratic, Paltrow's abilities are permitted to rise and become a strong point of the film. Marge feels largely unneeded in the first half of the film, largely serving as the token girlfriend that every rich snob needs to have. However, the second half of the film gives the character a dramatic purpose, and one that is used to the max. A particular scene between Paltrow, Damon and two rings late in the film allows both actors to really shine in their roles, and exists as one of the most memorable moments of the film. One of the few criticism I have of this film was the almost caricature-like nature of other characters, such as Freddie Miles (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), Herbert Greenleaf (the late James Rebhorn) and Peter Smith-Kingsley (Jack Davenport, whose voice does nothing but convince me I'm watching Pirates of the Caribbean again). All four characters feel to be walking, talking stereotypes, Herbert Greenleaf so much that Ripley makes a point of being able to imitate him so easily. Similarly, Cate Blanchett's role as Meredith Logue seems an almost criminal misuse of such a high-calibre actress (at this point, she had already won a Golden Globe for her role in Elizabeth and been nominated for an Oscar).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name Anthony Minghella is one that I have heard many, many times. The director of 1996's Best Picture winner The English Patient helms this 1999 film which is more deserving of the prestigious title, but that's not to say it should've won. Minghella's unique style is evident throughout the film, as he opts out of making a film set in 1955 that is made in 1999, deciding to make a film set in 1955 as if it was made in that same year. The style of The Talented Mr. Ripley reminds me of classical films of that era that I truly love. It has a quirky, almost Hitchcockian style that throws back to his British films, in particular the thrilling adventures of The 39 Steps. There are also many aspects, the music in particular, that for some reason remind me of Carol Reed's 1949 masterpiece The Third Man, making The Talented Mr. Ripley very much a neo-noir thriller fuelled with various aspects of the Jazz Age. Gabriel Yared is fully deserving of his Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, while I feel that Walter Murch was unfortunate to miss out on a nod for Editing, which was done so well in allowing one scene to flow into another almost seamlessly (for an example, see the train scene in which we perfectly transition from Jude Law to drums playing at a party). I feel it is almost a crime that John Seale did not receive an Academy Award for Cinematography, particularly due to what is without a doubt one of the single greatest shots I've seen in any movie. The film deals with the themes of identity and duality, primarily with Tom Ridley. All throughout the film, Ridley's defining feature is his glasses. The shot perfectly captures the moment that Tom Ridley separates from what he's pretending to be and reassumes his true identity by places his glasses on his head. It's a moment worth waiting the film to see, but lucky for you I have it right here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All-in-all, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a film that has gone by criminally underrated since its release in 1999. Equal parts thrilling, adventurous and terrifying, it features magnificent performances from Matt Damon and Jude Law, with strong support found in Gwyneth Paltrow. Admittedly, these outstanding performances are brought down by Seymour Hoffman, Rebhorn, Davenport and Blanchett who are all fine in this film but feel misused in such limiting and hollow roles. The film has great camerawork, music and direction, and plays out like a serial of the 1940's and 50's. The chilling and intriguing character of Tom Ridley is worth the lengthy runtime of 139 minutes, in which you meet a young man who is confused by his lack of consciousness, Gatsby-esque desperation to be someone else and subliminal homo-erotic feelings. The film will leave you wanting - no - craving more, as it leaves you wondering the very same question the tagline asks (How far would you go to be someone else?) and will leave you pondering many things about your own life and the lives of others. Tell me, would you "rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody"?

 

Rating: 8.5