1/19/2000
The Talented Mr. Ripley stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, Cate Blanchett as Meredith Logue, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie Miles, Jack Davenport as Peter Smith-Kingsley, James Rebhorn as Herbert Greenleaf.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is a well made and acted film. It is very slow in developing the plot. The characters are late 50's young people frolicking through Italy. Dickie Greenleaf is the son of a shipping magnate, Herbert Greenleaf, living on an allowance in Italy. He is the irresponsible playboy type with a girlfriend, Marge Sherwood. Herbert Greenleaf hires Tom Ripley to persuade his son to return to the United States.
Tom Ripley is an opportunist. He accepts the task and passes himself off as a classmates of Dickie's. He is accepted into the circle of friends and then also explains his task. This is seen by Dickie as an irony to be exploited. Dickie soon tires of Tom and tells him to go back to his father and tell him he has failed. Tom, however, enjoys the high life. He soon hatches a plot to get rid of Dickie and assume his place. Tom's talent, he can impersonate, forge, and lie convincingly.
The film lacks the edge of a real thriller. It develops slowly and does not get more intense as the story unfolds.