The Talented Mr. Ripley


Starring: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by: Anthony Minghella
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller
1999
Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young American, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is hired to bring back Dickie (Jude Law) from Europe, where he refuses to leave. Instead, Ripley lives with Dickie and Dickie's girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), where he develops an unhealthy fixation on Dickie... to the point where he really would like to be him.

Review:

Tim: This is a semi-entertaining film that suffers mostly from a feeling that it isn't going anywhere. He are plunged into the story unprepared for what occurs on screen, and we aren't given many directions as to where we're headed.

This film is really all about a crop of young stars giving good performances. Matt Damon gives an odd but interesting performance as the titular Mr. Ripley. It is oftentimes hard to pull your eyes away from him. Jude Law gives a good supporting performance. He can really act and this film is evidence of an excellent film career ahead of him. Gwyneth Paltrow is slightly above average, and Cate Blanchett is decent in a smaller role.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a pretty decent thriller. There are enough twists and suspense to keep us interested, but there are far too many slow parts for us to be really engrossed in the film.

If you are familiar with director Anthony Minghella's work (The English Patient, Magnolia), you will definitely see his fingerprints all over this movie. It bears striking resemblance and similarities with his other films. Like all his movies, this one is far too long.

This is definitely an unexpected and different movie. That is not always a good thing, however. This is, at its core, a finely acted, decent film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The English Patient, Magnolia, Alfie, The Bourne Indentity, Road to Perdition, Possession