The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999
****
Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cate Blanchett, Jack Davenport
Tom Ripley is a compulsive liar who is desperate to become a somebody. He gets his chance when a wealthy tycoon hires him to retrieve his son from Italy, but Tom becomes dangerously enamoured by the man and his lifestyle. Anthony Minghella's Hitchcockian thriller is classy and captivating, but way too long. Tom Ripley is a wonderfully intriguing and complex character, and Matt Damon gives one of his finest performances playing the man. He reappears in the unrelated Ripley's Game. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel, which was previously filmed as Purple Noon in 1960.
