Banner image: Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in Ripley. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Ever since Patricia Highsmith’s novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, was published in 1955, the “suave, agreeable, and utterly amoral” Tom Ripley has been no stranger to our screens.
Over the decades, actors like Denis Hopper and John Malkovich have assumed the role, but audiences will probably be more familiar with Matt Damon’s turn as one of literature’s most famous psychopaths in 1999.
Now, the killer con man returns to our screens with Netflix’s new limited series, Ripley. Created and directed by screenwriter extraordinaire Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Moneyball, The Irishman) and starring Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Fleabag, All of Us Strangers), it’s a stylish and suspenseful Hitchockian thriller that’s sure to divide audiences.
Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
When we meet Tom Ripley, he’s working as a con man in 1960s New York City. Holed up in a depressing apartment, he ekes out a meagre living by running scams – all while dodging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), who are tight on his tail.
But Tom’s luck soon turns around when he’s approached by a private detective on behalf of Mr Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan), a wealthy ship-building tycoon. Hesitant, Tom meets Mr Greenleaf, who incorrectly believes that Tom is close with his son, Dickie (Johnny Flynn) – a trust fund brat who’s run away to Italy to sail, paint, and generally avoid his responsibilities.
Being the opportunist that he is, Tom doesn’t correct him, and soon Mr Greenleaf is offering him a strange job: to travel (all expenses paid) to Atrani on the Amalfi Coast – where Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Dakota Fanning) have settled – to convince him to return to the U.S.
However, once Tom arrives in Italy and manoeuvres his way into Dickie good graces, he finds himself captivated by the young heir’s opulent and carefree lifestyle. Soon, he resolves to take it for himself by whatever means necessary – and what follows is a tense and unsettling tale of murder and deceit.
Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf in Ripley. Credit: Cr. Philippe Antonello/NETFLIX © 2021
What’s immediately apparent is that Zallian’s series is a far cry from Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film. While its predecessor is glossy and glamorous – portraying the Almalfi Coast with a vibrant intensity – Ripley is quiet, cerebral, and shot in black and white. From the first scene, it feels like an ode to noir films of the 40s and 50s – with plenty of swishing trenchcoats and footsteps echoing down deserted streets.
Though, that’s not to say that Ripley isn’t rich and vivid in its own way. Masterfully aided by cinematographer Robert Elswit, Zallian takes his time to linger on textural details – the cracked walls of Italian villas and the swirling surf of the Mediterranean. It’s a piece of art that really takes its time – which will undoubtedly frustrate as many viewers as it delights.
With that said, the stylistic elements never feel overly-indulgent or unjustified, with each quirk serving a purpose. For example, Zallian deploys a Wes Anderson-esque device of dramatising letters by having actors deliver them in monologue while staring deadpan at the camera. This might seem pretentious at first, but it’s an effectively unnerving way to breathe life into some of the more bland bureaucratic notices that threaten to expose Ripley’s web of deceit.
The closed-in nature of the black-and-white lens and the voyeuristic camera angles – which frequently give the impression of watching characters from unseen hidey holes – also build a sufficiently suspenseful atmosphere throughout.
Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in Ripley. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Despite the commendable behind-the-camera work, what ultimately makes Ripley work so well is Andrew Scott’s enthralling performance. At over seven hours long, it’s a slow burn, and there are points when the narrative can feel a little too meandering. This is particularly true in the early episodes before the excellent Maurizio Lombardi arrives on the scene as Inspector Ravini, who ups the ante when he starts investigating the strange goings on around Tom.
However, at these sluggish points in the story, Scott’s performance holds the viewers’ attention. Providing a bleak contrast to Damon’s 1999 portrayal – who’s all good looks and winning charm with a violent fury bubbling underneath – Scott’s version is more grounded. He’s bratty, entitled, and, quite frankly, creepy. Plus, despite the unsettling dead-eyed stare, he’s also clumsy and bumbling at times – skating by just as often on sheer luck and coincidence as a genuine talent for manipulation and deception.
The scenes when Tom thinks on his feet are some of the most entertaining to watch. With nothing more than a half-second pause, Scott gives just enough so that we know he’s fibbing, without it feeling like other characters would see right through him. Despite his objective terribleness, touches like this establish an allegiance with us and Ripley, making it all the more tense when Ravini and a suspicious Marge get close to uncovering his crimes.
That said, this version of Ripley is undoubtedly more difficult to like than previous iterations, which might be enough to put some viewers off completely. Fans of the lucid filmmaking of the 1999 effort and the shock spectacle of last year’s Saltburn – with which this will certainly be compared – also might not gel with Zallian’s bleak, subdued outlook.
But ultimately, Ripley is a stylish, slow-burning psychological thriller. It’s nail-biting and enthralling in a quiet and disturbing way. Throughout the series, Zallian builds a house of cards that feels like it’ll come crashing down at any moment, leaving viewers entranced and on edge.
While the pacing can certainly drag, it’s more than made up for by the exquisite cinematography and direction, as well as Scott’s enrapturing performance. Lovers of psychologically complex noir are sure to be pleased with this new addition to the Ripley canon.
Ripley is now available to watch on Netflix.
Have you watched Ripley? If so, what do you think? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.