Jude Law Movie:

				Salesrank: 226645
		Our Price: $168.00
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
"I feel like I've been handed a new life," says Tom Ripley at a crucial turning point of this well-cast, stylishly crafted psychological thriller. And indeed he has, because the devious, impoverished Ripley (played with subtle depth by Matt Damon) has just traded his own identity for that of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the playboy heir to a shipping fortune who has become Ripley's model for a life worth living. Having been sent by Dickie's father to retrieve the errant son from Italy, Ripley has smoothly ingratiated himself with Dickey and his lovely, unsuspecting fiancée, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). In due course, the sheer evil of Ripley's amoral scheme will be revealed.

Superbly adapted from the acclaimed novel by Patricia Highsmith (also the basis of the acclaimed French version, Purple Noon), The Talented Mr. Ripley is writer-director Anthony Minghella's impressive follow-up to his Oscar-winning triumph The English Patient. Re-creating late-1950s Italy in exacting detail, the film captures the sensuousness of la dolce vita while suspensefully developing the fracturing of Ripley's mind as his crimes grow increasingly desperate. And where Hitchcock was necessarily discreet with the homosexual subtext of Highsmith's Strangers on a Train, Minghella brings it out of the closet, increasing the dramatic tension and complexity of Ripley's psychological breakdown. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett are excellent in pivotal supporting roles, and the film's final image is utterly effective: Ripley's talents have gone too far, and this study of class distinction, obsession, and deadly desire reaches a disturbing yet richly appropriate conclusion. --Jeff Shannon

The Talented Mr. Ripley [Region 2] Reviews:
Matt before he matured with a weak cast
2009-05-29 - Was a good Damon movie back before he matured. His co=stars were pretty weak...yuppies in Italy. Time has made a difference in how you view the movie. I doubt if the fat guy ever made the big leagues????

An Odd, Intriguing Film
2009-05-29 -
Overall, this is intriguing drama-crime story with a lot of suspense and done so without a lot of violence. All the characters in this movie grab your attention. Combine that with good European scenery and involving storyline and you have a movie worth investigating.

I read somewhere that this film also goes under the title, "The Strange Mr. Ripley." How true.

****Spoilers**** The first hour sets up Matt Damon's character, "Tom Ripley," to do what he eventually does: kill someone and then imitate the rich kid off in Europe.

However, to be fair, his murder of friend "Dickie Greenleaf" (Jude Law) is almost made to look like self-defense. It's an odd scene in this odd movie. As the story unfolds, however, "Ripley" is shown to be a sick killer, hardly some innocent man caught in some self-defense predicament.

The second half of the film deals with Damon's character trying to get away with his scheme while other people slowly start to question who he is and what he's doing. Some people trust him; some don't. A few twists make the story even more interesting.

Gwyneth Paltrow is good in here as "Marge Sherwood," someone who is ahead of the pack when it comes to uncovering the truth. Cate Blanchett is good, too, as usual, but her role was much smaller and one I'm not sure was all about.

"The Best Thing Matt Damon Did!"
2009-05-24 - "The Talented Mr. Ripley" was released in North America on Christmas Day, 1999 and became a boxoffice smash. Starring Oscar winner Matt Damon in the title role, the movie is about a man who entangles himself into the life of a rich shipping heir, Dicky, played superbly by Jude Law. Thomas Ripley goes to beautiful Italy, on the advice and expense of Dicky's dad, who wants Tom to bring his playboy son back to the U.S.. Once he gets there not only is Tom Ripley smitten by Dicky's extravagent lifestyle, but he is also smitten with Dicky himself. Once Tom realizes that Dicky will not give into his (Tom's) advances, he kills him. This is where the movie really takes off as Thomas takes over Dicky's life. The film is about stealing not only someone's identity, but their very own life.
The acting is flawless, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Cate Blanchett, and Gwyneth Paltrow all deliver excellent supporting acting performances. Anthony Minghella, who directed the superb "English Patient", outdoes himself in this film. He should have received an Oscar for his directing, as not only does he bring out the best in his cast, but he brings out the best in his shooting locales. Filming on location is difficult for any director, but once you see the directorial work in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", you will understand that filming this piece of art was no easy task. When I watch this movie it is unlike any I have viewed, as I feel like I am actually in Italy. The scenic locations are exquisite and they add to the drama of this masterpiece of the cinema.
The movie was nominated for five Oscars, sadly winning none, and the film was budgeted at forty million dollars. No expense was spared when making this work.
The DVD contains a neat commentary by Minghella, and there is a neat documentary on the making of the film with the cast. The trailer is included and the film is in widescreen.
This is definitely a five star movie!

Freaky Movie
2009-05-24 - This is one of those films that sends shivers down your spine. Matt Damon is a pretty good actor and seeing "Jason Bourne," play this role and have such homo erotic and strange story tangents is just creepy.

Absorbing and Irresistable Drama
2009-05-14 - One advantage in having not is the motivation and desire it breeds to have. But to what cavernous depths may motivation and desire lower someone to fuel his inherent megalomania? Would he lie, cheat, and steal? This is probably innate. What of murder? I'll never tell.

The film, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" explores such disturbing issues quite demonstratively and effectively. Tom Ripley's (Matt Damon) anguish, is not only to attain wealth and stature, but also the persona and very name attached to both. The opportunity obliges when an affluent New York shipping magnate hires Tom as an emissary to go to a quaint village in Italy and extract his eccentrically wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf, exceptionally played by Jude Law.

The mercenary plan suffers a miscarriage when Tom becomes enthralled by Dickie, siding with him against the elder Greenleaf's intent. Mayhem ensues as these two pseudo "mates" eventually discover that even when one tosses the perfect salad, no matter what the effort; the oil and vinegar dressing never mixes. The oil is non-polar and consistently rises to the top, while the vinegar is polar and remains at the bottom. Dickie is the oil and Tom is the vinegar.

Despite his crass rendition of "My Funny Valentine," Matt Damon handles this complex title role with incredible precision; much like the spontaneous color transitions owned by a chameleon. His arcane blend of lucidity, psychosis, and guile is pitch-perfect. While Gwyneth Paltrow's (Marge) effort as Dickie's forlorn and jilted girlfriend was yeoman-like, Cate Blanchett (Meredith Logue) and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Freddie Miles) are both prolific in their diminutive roles.

As for Director Anthony Minghella, this film does not leap off the screen in full spectrum like his brilliant epic, "The English Patient," yet he more than manages to purport dire substance to the main theme. In addition, Minghella exhumes colossal efforts from the adept ensemble cast. Under his masterful guidance and classic intuition, the cinematography reminds us of how sublime the southern tip of Italy is, and showcases the sheer elegance of the Mediterranean Coast. Scenes such as the ones where Tom is caught frolicking around in Dickie's clothes, and tears trickling down his face while taking in an opera, which parallels his actions are priceless.

One may not enjoy the dynamics of this sophisticated thriller, feeling that they may be too morally flawed. In order to smooth this doubt over a tad, Minghella himself in an interview stated, `the film is really about myself and how I imagined life in Italy.' He also said, 'it represents the worst of me.' If there is any truth to these statements, Anthony Minghella, though no longer amongst us, at least deserves a shot in the dark.