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"I realized I had a strong personal connection with the character. Not because I'm looking to commit acts of murder, but because I think everybody is a Ripley in some way. It has to do with a feeling of not belonging, never quite being part of the herd." The sunny blue-flecked skies of 1950s Italy are the magnificent backdrop for this intriguing drama which careens hauntingly through the idiosyncrasies of identity. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is sent on an errand, to retrieve a wealthy man's wanderlust-driven son , Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) who, with Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow ), is living the Sweet Life abroad.
This is a film of epic proportions, a brilliant exercise in suspense and thrills, but even more, an introduction to the unexpected. The critics are providing a runway for it to the Oscars. Liz Smith seems to admit to have bitten her nails during the movie's climax. Janet Maslin notes the film's "diabolically smart surprises" while both women are joined by this reviewer calling loud attention to the "voluptuousness" of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Ripley is a man who feels cheated, left out of Materialism's will. When he arrives in a seaside village, he becomes aware of what he does not have while he focuses on people who never seem to suffer such thoughts.
Dickie is perceived as a golden-haired, overly assured spendthrift. But Tom likes what he sees. His attraction to Dickie expands beyond the rich boy's good looks, however. But Dickie is trifling with Tom, allowing him to go along for the ride before deciding to dump him, so to speak, by the roadside.
Tom is not one to be trifled with, however. Some have suggested that the 1950s gay character that Matt Damon plays once again connects—as Hollywood has done in the past— psychopathic and murderous tendencies with homosexual inclinations. There's an odd difference this time around, however, and that is that Damon's portrayal of Tom—as Minghella has noted—causes audiences to self-identify with him. This time the gay villain has thoughts that, in some particular ways, affect many ordinary men and women. Mr. Ripley, some think, goes down hill after Tom dispatches Dickie, partly because their male/male relationship—during earlier scenes-- lets off such bright and memorable sparks---flames, in fact, that dance in heated realism. But alone, the amazing Ripley character keeps showing us layer after layer in his character, and it is this fact alone that will earn Matt Damon Filmland's nominations. His changes in appearance and manner are nothing short of extraordinary. For those who would plumb the depths of their own identities, The Talented Mr. Ripley will prove to be a milestone experience. |
Gwyneth Paltrow , Jude Law and Matt Damon star in The Talented Mr. Ripley 
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