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The Talented Mr. Ripley
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Tom Ripley
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Michael, Anti-Hero
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rated it 3 stars
May 31, 2013 05:10PM
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If you can get your head around the idea of John Malkovich as Ripley--a pretty unexpected casting choice, I concede--the 2002 Cavani adaptation is superb:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripley&#...
I expect that die-hard fans of Ripley will find things to dislike about this film, but the pace and cinematography are fantastic, and Malkovich gives one of his best performances. I think it's a great movie, though I won't necessarily go to the mat that it's a great RIPLEY movie.
I have watched THE AMERICAN FRIEND several times over the years. I'm generally a big Wenders fan, and I do like TAF, but somehow it doesn't really feel very Ripley-ish to me, more Wenders-ish. Not that that's a bad thing.
Yes, from a pure plot/narrative point of view, the film is faithful to the novel. I do have a hard time seeing Hopper as Ripley. Also, the sensibility is so throughly Wenders, the plot is almost an afterthought. Apparently Highsmith herself didn't like the film much, at least after the first viewing. It's definitely a film worth watching, but I'd offer it to hardcore Ripley fans with a lot of caveats.
Bought this book years ago & marinated it. When I finally got to it, the laconic poetry from the mind of Highsmith’s killer floored me. The other Ripley books for some reason lack the malevolent brilliance of the original.
I really enjoyed The Talented Mr. Ripley! Just like I enjoy Highsmith's several other books (not include Strangers On A Train).There are some "errors" regarding police's investigation. First, it is so hard to imagine that the same officer did not recognize Ripley, who disguised himself as Greenleaf. Second, it would be so easy for Marge to find out, that Dickie was not in police station (as Tom told her), instead, he was interviewed by police officers in hotel 5 minutes before she talked to Tom.
Also, regarding Dickie and Tom's relationship, I was surprised that Dickie did not find the fact that Tom had thrown his drawing materials outside of studio window.
Having said all of these, this book is still one of the best I ever read!
Ripley has always fascinated me, or more specifically, the way that the great Highsmith was able to make us have to support his deeds. It's subtle and damn masterful. I wrote about it briefly in a recent review of Ripley's Game: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
