The Talented Mr. Ripley

Starring:Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, James Rebhorn, Sergio Rubini, Philip Baker Hall, Celia Weston, Fiorello, Stefania Rocca, Ivano Marescotti, Anna Longhi, Alessandro Fabrizi, Lisa Eichhorn, Gretchen Egolf, Jack Willis, Frederick Alexander Bosche, Dario Bergesio
Director: Anthony Minghella
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
"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.

Amazon.com

"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

Customer Reviews:

Unsettling.......2007-06-28

If there were separate categories, I'd give this movie five stars for acting and cinematography, three stars for writing, and one star for how it made me feel. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of Matt Damon's "Bourne" films ... and I got something very different. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who wants to watch the film, but it starts out strange in the sense of mysterious and intriguing, and ends up strange in the sense of weird and kind of grotesque. When I finished watching it, I was left in an odd emotional state: kind of shocked, kind of awed, kind of sick to my stomach, and kind of sad. Like I said, though, the acting and cinematography were amazing.

Hitchcock film for the 90's.......2007-04-14

The entire time that I watched this movie, I felt as if I was missing something, that there was something I wasn't cluing in on. I rented "The Talented Mr. Ripley" without the slightest clue about what the story entailed.
Matt Damon portrays the mysterious Mr. Ripley, who, more or less, remains a mystery throughout the film. I was intrigued at how, when you first see him on screen, you are given the impression that he is nothing more than a shy, innocent, and intellectual young man who pretty much keeps to himself. However, this image is only visable for the first five minutes or so, and is virtually shattered once he accepts the offer to go to Italy in search of Mr. Greenleaf's son, Dickie. I was fascinated at how rapidly his personality altered, and suddenly I understood that he was rather odd, as he deceived Mr. Greenleaf in the first place by wearing a Princeton jacket and pretending that he knew Dickie.
As the film progresses and it becomes more apparent there is something deeply wrong with Damon, you almost begin to root for him to get away with his malicious acts. He is so effective as the quietly psychotic Ripley because his actions do not seem planned. He just kind of takes what is not his without reason.
The beauty of Rome, Venice, and Gwyneth Paltrow tends to hide the inner turmoil going on with Damon's character and Jude Law is oblivious to it most of the time. The madness builds slowly and Law, as the target of Damon's consuming desire, realizes it too late. Law has the looks and mannerisms of a 50's matinee idol which fits perfectly within the context of the film.
Some people have said The Talented Mr. Ripley is like a Hitchcock film for the 90's. I would have to agree. Damon's ability to portray a fully realized, human leach is amazing at times and the fact that I actually had some sympathy for him proves it. There are scenes of utter shock and dismay, but it is the drowning build to the inevitable murder and mayhem that grabs you.

Reeled me in hook, line, and sinker.......2007-02-07

A sleek, sexy, suspenseful gem!

The haunting score had me hooked by the opening credits, and the film's momentum kept me glued to the edge of my seat to the very end. If you're looking for a thriller packed with action and gore, this probably isn't the film for you. But if you're in the mood for a masterful script, radiant cinematography, subtle & engrossing acting, and a sexy-cool storyline that will leave you wanting more, you've found your film.

"The Green Mile" beat out this movie???!!!!!.......2007-02-04

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" deserved to win "Best Picture" in 1999. That it didn't even receive a nomination when "The Green Mile" did was the latest in jaw-dropping Academy travesties--the most hideous being "Dances With Wolves" beating out "Goodfellas" for the top prize in 1990.

This film is a masterpiece in every respect. Incredible, incredible acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jude Law (these two are standouts, but the other performances are also excellent). Beautiful cinematography in Italy. A gripping, complex story, and a thought-provoking exploration of class stratification and angst over sexual orientation amidst the rigid American societal norms of the 1950s. When I saw this movie, I thought to myself that film-lovers needn't yearn for decades long past: "Ripley" demonstrated that the golden age of American cinema is right now.

Was it a case of mass delusion among Academy members that caused them to overlook this movie? I'm sure that history will prove that they were very wrong in 1999, just as it has shown that they were very wrong in 1990. How often does "Dances With Wolves" appear on any "Greatest Films" lists these days?

One-half of a great movie.......2006-12-05

Someone correctly called The Talented Mr. Ripley one-half of a great movie, the great half being the first hour or so when Tom Ripley, a self-described nobody, meets the glamorous Dickie Greenleaf and becomes infatuated with the sweet life in Italy circa 1958. The second half is a Hitchcock type thriller which suffers because Jude Law is no longer on screen. Matt Damon's Tom is too sensitive and sympathetic to be a completely convincing murderer. The ending, however, is very effective, and the cast is excellent throughout.

Average customer rating:

Unsettling
Hitchcock film for the 90's
Reeled me in hook, line, and sinker
"The Green Mile" beat out this movie???!!!!!
One-half of a great movie

The Talented Mr. Ripley
Starring: Matt Damon , Lisa Eichhorn , Philip Baker Hall , Philip Seymour Hoffman , and Anna Longhi
Director: Anthony Minghella
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Murder & Mayhem | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Ripley's Game
Primal Fear
Good Will Hunting (Miramax Collector's Series)
The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00003CX6P
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Product Description

Excellent condition, includes the original DVD, case, and paperwork, fast shipped, ask me for my DVD List! :)

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Unsettling.......2007-06-28

Hitchcock film for the 90's.......2007-04-14

Reeled me in hook, line, and sinker.......2007-02-07

"The Green Mile" beat out this movie???!!!!!.......2007-02-04

One-half of a great movie.......2006-12-05

Charlie Rose with Jude Law ( July 2, 2001)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Jude Law ( July 2, 2001)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Breaking and Entering
Wilde (Special Edition)
The Holiday

ASIN: B000HBL6KK
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

Actor Jude Law is on for the hour. After his successful turn as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Law became a recognized face in Hollywood and was recently hand picked by director Steven Spielberg to play Gigolo Joe in the highly anticipated new film, A.I. The film takes place in a future age after the melting of the polar ice caps and deals with the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence on Earth. Law discusses his experience working on the film and comments on the collaboration between Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick.

Average customer rating:

Unsettling
Hitchcock film for the 90's
Reeled me in hook, line, and sinker
"The Green Mile" beat out this movie???!!!!!
One-half of a great movie

The Talented Mr. Ripley [Region 2]
Starring: Matt Damon , Gwyneth Paltrow , Jude Law , Cate Blanchett , and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: Anthony Minghella
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ripley's Game
Primal Fear
Good Will Hunting (Miramax Collector's Series)
The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00004W1F9

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Unsettling.......2007-06-28

Hitchcock film for the 90's.......2007-04-14

Reeled me in hook, line, and sinker.......2007-02-07

"The Green Mile" beat out this movie???!!!!!.......2007-02-04

One-half of a great movie.......2006-12-05

Charlie Rose with Anthony Minghella; Robert Wagner (January 24, 2000)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Anthony Minghella; Robert Wagner (January 24, 2000)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, an interview with Anthony Minghella, the director who brought Michael Ondaatje's novel, The English Patient, to the screen, winning nine Academy Awards, including Best Director. After a two-year hiatus, he returns with another risky adaptation, The Talented Mr. Ripley, a psychological thriller based on the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith and starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law. Later, a conversation with actor Robert "R.J." Wagner, whose career in Hollywood has spanned more than 50 years, most recently manifesting itself as the role of Dr. Evil's right-hand man in the Austin Powers films and a role in a new film, Play It to the Bone.