Not so talented Mr. Ripley

Advantages: Good Chance to see Matt Damon
Disadvantages: Ever so slightly boring

...TITLE: Talented Mr. Ripley GENRE: Thriller, Drama, Crime DIRECTOR: Anthony Minghella LEAD ACTORS: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes CERTIFICATE: 12A The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented: all those words describe Tom Ripley (played by Matt Damon) a man with an innate ability to impersonate anyone within minutes of meeting them (think John Culshaw on a large scale). Mr Ripley is styled nicely and the filming seems quite sophisticated; you get to study Tom Ripley's character with open-mouthed awe. He doesn't conform to ridiculous gay and homophobic stereotypes; he is neither girly nor a sissy but, rather he is a psychopath blessed with the ability to impersonated people which...

curiousgirl 10.06.2005 (11.06.2005) · Read review
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Review of The Talented Mr Ripley (DVD)

The Talented Mr Ripley - TOM RIPLEY

Advantages: good
Disadvantages: none

...This film stars: Matt Damon Gwyneth Paltrow Jude Law Cate Blanchett I failed to see what was so great about The Talented Mr. Ripley. The acting was acceptable with the only stand-out performance turned in by Jude Law and the whole plot line quite unbelievable. Everything just seemed to fit together a little bit too well - the inept Italian police, Dickie's background, and the general instinct of men to stick together. If it hadn't happened already, the movie completely falls apart while nearing the end. Mr. Tom Ripley, his dark basement is full of acts of rage, images of horror, and they're all locked up, no one but Tom Ripley has the key even though he so desperately wants to give it away. Had Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) not put on that Princeton jacket that one day, his life would have never changed as dramatically as it...

leeds_united_17 11.06.2001 · Read review
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The Slightly Talented Mr Ripley

Advantages: good acting
Disadvantages: Story is hard to get caught up in

...This film kind of reminded me of the book The Great Gatsby. It centres around rich, beautiful and idle people who seize on anything new or different to enliven their jaded lives. Ripley, played by Matt Damon, is sent to persuade Jude Law?s character to return to America from Italy. Ripley gets caught up in the glamour of Jude Law?s and Gywneth Paltrow?s (who plays Law?s girlfriend) lives. He uses a false identity of someone who was at Princeton at the same time as Law to become close to them. Everything proceeds swimmingly and Ripley starts to love this type of life but then Law becomes bored with his new friend and casually dismisses him. Neither Ripley nor Law?s characters are particularly pleasant people. Ripley is particularly creepy in the way that he becomes attached to Law and the lifestyle. As Ripley?s lies & different personas...

Alix23 10.09.2000 · Read review
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The Not At All Talented Mr Ripley

Advantages: impressive cast
Disadvantages: slow, confusing, sometimes unbelievable

...I quite fancied watching this film when I read the reviews. The cast was quite impressive, including Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Jude Law (Existenz) and Cate Blanchett (currently in The Gift). Unfortunately, I found it be to be slow, confusing, totally unbelievable and the ending was bizarre. It is hard to describe this film without giving the plot away, but it basically revolves around a disturbed young man with a 'talent' for impersonations and forging handwriting, who becomes unhealthily obsessed with a young couple in Italy, ultimately resulting in murder. The film is quite slow and has its boring moments (my other half went to sleep after 45 minutes!), but the actors do seem to be trying their best. It seems a waste of such good talent. The plot is completely ludicrous at times. I'm sorry I can't say more but I don't want to...

BAILEY 02.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of The Talented Mr Ripley (DVD)

The Talented Mr Damon

Advantages: Matt Damon and Jude Law give excellent performances.
Disadvantages: Life is really too short to watch this long and silly film.

...There is nothing better on a dull and damp Sunday afternoon - than to curl up in front of the TV and watch a great movie. What a shame I picked THIS movie...As dull and damp as the weather outside. I have just wasted 133 minutes of my day on this disappointing mess. The only redeeming factor was the excellent performances, particularly from Matt Damon as the Mr Ripley of the title. The Talented Mr Ripley is a strange film that lacks atmosphere and is ultimately very unsatisfying. It is directed by Anthony Minghella, who also directed The English Patient and Truly Madly Deeply. There are some beautiful shots of the Italian settings and standout performances from Matt Damon and Jude Law. I can’t comment on Gwyneth Paltrow, I have an unexplainable dislike for the actress and so cannot view her performances from...

redridinghood 11.03.2001 · Read review
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A brilliant book - a different film - Mr Ripley

Advantages: well acted, quite tense in parts, and mildly interesting
Disadvantages: the film has a different view of the book from me

...I recently read Patricia Highsmith’s the talented Mr. Ripley, which I really enjoyed. The story is about a man – Tom Ripley, who is sent, by a certain Mr. Geanleaf, to Mongibello, to try and persuade his son his son to come home, as he is currently reluctant to. It’s a gripping novel, which starts off a bit slow, but speeds up after a shockingly swift event, which changes plot flying all over the place. From this point, the story becomes tense, and with superbly written escape. What makes the book so interesting, as well as just the clever, and adventurous story of it, is the unusual, and arguably evil main character of the book. Not merely the character, but subtlety of how horrific his acts actually are, and how you still want the rather likeable character to succeed! After reading the book, I immediately...

zak-2 27.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of The Talented Mr Ripley (DVD)

The Talented Messrs Damon and Law

Advantages: Acting, Cinematography, Story all Superb
Disadvantages: None

...‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1999) was director Anthony Minghella's follow up to the hugely acclaimed ‘The English Patient’. Because of this, I very nearly missed it. I LOATHED ‘The English Patient’ both as a book and a film and couldn’t think of Minghella without being reminded of the hours of utter boredom I’d been subjected to by his last effort (though not his fault – what CAN you do with a story as thin as that except put a couple of beautiful people in the frame and photograph them beautifully?). I was dragged along to TTMR by a friend, and how very glad I was. It is absolutely superb. Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, it’s a story of adultery, impersonation, murder and deception that delves deep into life’s ugly underbelly. The film stars...

sandrabarber 11.01.2002 · Read review
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Untalented Mr Ripley

Advantages: Italy and the acting
Disadvantages: The pace and confusing plot

...The talented Mr.Ripley is, to put it plainly, odd. Its reviews at the time were generally positive, but, personally, I remained unconvinced. Matt Damon skillfully plays the seemingly innocent and guileless Tom, who, disturbingly, turns out to be an obsessive murderer, appearing almost imbalanced in his need for love and security, which, when unfulfilled, drives him to violence. Then begins a trail of lies, deception and corruption, in which it is difficult for the audience to become fully involved due to its intricacy. Homosexuality is strongly hinted at throughout the film, but it ends without any kind of resolution or firm conclusion. I was left feeling strangely unsatisfied and saddened since the protagonist seemed to have brought so much misery upon himself through insecurity. Neither myself nor my companion enjoyed the film...

Twiglet 16.07.2000 · Read review
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the talented ms highsmith

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...A pretty interesting film, infinitely better than Anthony Minghella's other big film the english patient, though like that one I did find it a bit slow in places. The performances are all excellent, particularly our brit Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf. The literary inclined among you may have some gripes though, Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley the murderous psychopath has somehow changed to Matt Damon the murderous geek. The film also uses a bit of "artistic licence" in terms of plot too shall we say. If you want to spend in interesting couple of hours - watch the film. If you want to spend an interesting couple of days - read the novel....

curlytop 24.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of The Talented Mr Ripley (DVD)

The talented Matt Damon

Advantages: BIZARRE plot, beautiful scenery (and actors)
Disadvantages: A bit long.

...The Talented Mr Ripley is a strange, strange film, and yet the storyline is highly intriguing despite its length. Matt damon plays Tom Ripley, a disturbed young man who's (well hidden) psychotic nature and homosexual tendancies lead him to lead a life of obsession and eventually murder in his quest to become someone he's not. Jude Law is a convincing 'nice but dim' American living in Italy on his father's handouts. You can see why Tom would want to be 'with' him, and eventually want to 'be' him. At every twist of this incredibly twisty plot you think Tom will be discovered for who he really is, and yet his mastery for deception is quite brilliant as he digs himself deeper and deeper into his complicated disguise. Having read 'The talented Mr Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith I have to say that I prefer the film version, as...

RuthHolohan 10.07.2001 · Read review
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