The Talented Mr. Ripley (2001, VHS)

In a year so full of promising films that have actually delivered, The Talented Mr. Ripley becomes perhaps the first of these highly-anticipated films that has suffeciently underwhelmed me. It is a gorgeous looking film, tremendously well-cast and well-acted, but the pacing and direction seem surprisingly poor, especially considering that the film was helmed by Oscar winning director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient). At 90 minutes, this film would have marked yet another terrific entry into the remarkable canon of 1999 film excellence; however, at 2 hours and 20 minutes it quite simply loses any steam or momentum it might have been able to pick up in its first half.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. Highsmith is no stranger to the big screen, having found success in Alfred Hitchcock's version of her story Strangers on a Train. Both Wim Wenders and Rene Clement have tried their hand at adapting Highsmith's "Ripley" novels, Wenders changing "Ripley's Game" into his mesmerizing American Friend (1980), while Clement used the "The Talented Mr. Ripley" as the basis for his French film, Purple Noon (which is interesting in its own right). The Ripley series is perhaps an odd series in literary terms, because in the five books that make up the set, Highsmith chooses to use Ripley, a criminal, as her protagonist; forcing us to identify and even root for the "bad guy" to win out in the end. Thus, the importance of The Talented Mr. Ripley's success would seem to lie in the casting and performance of the title character. Yet, Matt Damon is absolutely wonderful in the title role. Damon, as Ripley, is in every single scene of the 140 minute film, and is completely convincing throughout.

The second key to a successful film would seem to lie in the supporting cast, but try as I might, I couldn't find a poor performance among them. Jude Law is pitch perfect as Dickie Greenleaf, the man who's life Ripley wishes to lead, Gwyneth Paltrow makes the most of her under written role as Greenleaf's girlfriend, and both Cate Blanchett and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are delightful in even smaller roles. The third and final key to success would then be the look of the film, its ability to capture or recreate the Italy of the 1950's, the Italy of Fellini's La Dolce Vita (which film the director, Minghella, studied carefully while envisioning his film). In every aspect, the cinematography is gorgeous. The camera lovingly captures its actors and the beautiful cities they inhabit throughout Italy, framing the ancient buildings and wide waters in the best possible light. So, as I walked away from the film I was left scratching my head. All the right pieces were in place, so what went wrong?

The easiest answer is the time issue. Simply put, the film is too long. The first half of the film draws the viewer in deeply, wrapping a tight, delicate web around the audience as we watch the characters of Tom and Dickie move through the various stages of their friendship. Though we see through Greenleaf's superficial existence, we are nonetheless able to identify with Ripley's desires to lead Dickie's life, perhaps to lead it better than Greenleaf himself. The mixed feelings and multiple layers only increase as we witness the homosexual undertones of the friendship finally begin to boil to the surface between the two. This leads to a dramatic and shocking boat scene where the unthinkable happens. At this point, the director and his cast completely have us hooked as viewers; the only problem is, they don't ever seem to know quite where to go after this scene. Soon, the film begins to lose our interest, and in the worst possible manner: slowly. The film seems to have several places at which to end, only to push the story further for no apparent reason, adding length and convolution to a plot that has already gone on long enough. The ending itself, while possibly thinking itself deep, is merely a stopping point rather than a climax. So we are left to ask ourselves, if there was going to be an ending rather than a stopping point, why not stop the film sooner? Maybe even while we could still remember how wonderful of a film it had started out to be.