Ripley is streaming now on Netflix.
In 1999, Anthony Minghella brought us the Oscar-nominated adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s first novel in her “Ripley” series, The Talented Mr Ripley, starring Matt Damon as Ripley, Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf and Gwyneth Paltrow as his girlfriend Marge. Minghella’s sun-drenched, homoerotic, beautifully performed movie soon became a fan favourite and is still seen by many as the definitive adaptation of Highsmith’s novel.
But now there’s a new kid on the block with Ripley, written for TV and directed by the legendary Steven Zaillian. But does Zaillian’s adaptation starring Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning, and Johnny Flynn offer us anything new? The answer is a resounding yes, but it also could have done more.
Those familiar with the book and Minghella’s adaptation will know what to expect from the plot; therefore, delivering the story in a new and fresh way was always going to be a challenge. But Zaillian pulls it off by turning Highsmith’s story into a gloriously lit 1930s-inspired film noir, where Scott’s Ripley is our queer homme fatale. Here, the cinematography of Robert Elswit is genuinely something to behold, as each scene is drenched in sumptuous chiaroscuro lighting from the streets of Manhattan to the splendour of Rome and the winding alleyways of Capri and Atrani.
Like the best noirs, malice, mistrust, paranoia, and manipulation seep into every glorious scene, further enhanced by Jeff Russo’s fantastic score. At the same time, Scott’s calculating yet quiet performance sends shivers down the spine as his opportunistic Ripley enacts his haphazard and deadly plan.
However, there are also problems, and the most significant of these is the coldness of Scott’s character and the strange decision not to further build on the homoeroticism of Minghella’s movie when offering us a clearly queer homme fatale. Age is also a barrier; after all, Ripley was twenty-five in Highsmith’s first book, a mere trainee sociopath, one could say, whereas Scott is clearly older and far more experienced. But for all its flaws, Ripley is a deliciously dark slice of modern noir that is as addictive as it is beautiful.
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