Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning) sitting in Episode 2 of Netflix's RipleyImage via Netflix
By
Liam Gaughan
Published 54 minutes ago
Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.
In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.
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Tom Ripley, created by Patricia Highsmith for her novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, is one of the most iconic characters in contemporary literature. In addition to the several sequels that Highsmith wrote, Ripley has appeared in several cinematic incarnations, including the Oscar-nominated 1999 classic starring Matt Damon as the titular character. Given this storied history, making a new version of the classic story would seem like an endeavor doomed to end in disappointment. However, Netflix revamped Highsmith’s source material with the eight-episode miniseries Ripley, which saw Andrew Scott taking over the iconic role for showrunner and creator Steve Zaillian. Even if the story was already familiar, Ripley made creative choices that helped reframe the narrative into a twisty noir.
The character of Ripley is a true enigma who is employed by the wealthy businessman Herbert Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan) to find his son, Dickie (Johnny Flynn), who has disappeared in Italy with his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), to live a bohemian life. Although Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley created a lush version of Europe that spoke to the exuberance of the post-war era, Ripley is a moody, atmospheric black-and-white drama that examines the feelings of disenchantment from expatriates. Its eight episodes allow it to expand upon details that weren’t fleshed out in some of the previous interpretations, but Ripley is such an engrossing, darkly entertaining experience that it’s hard not to consume it in its entirety over the course of just one sitting.
‘Ripley’ Redefines One of Literature's Most Iconic Characters
One of the most notable differences between the original source material and Zaillian’s version is the age of the characters, who are almost two decades older than they appear in the novel. Ripley uses the faded ambitions and lack of accomplishments of its protagonists to reflect a dark side to the notion of escapism; even though Dickie has seemingly rejected his family’s responsibilities for the sake of doing his own thing, he’s revealed to be just as miserable as his father is. What makes Flynn’s version of Dickie so different than the Oscar-nominated performance by Jude Law in The Talented Mr. Ripley is that he is a vacuum of charisma who seems to have no real artistic talents, even if he engages in pretentious conversations with his friend Freddie (Eliot Sumner), This makes Ripley’s desire to literally replace him more complex; although there is still a hint of psychosexual obsession, Ripley seemingly wants to take over Dickie’s life because he feels that he could live it better.
Ripley puts the viewer in a precarious position because the characters are as fascinating as they are repulsive. While Scott doesn’t inspire the same sense of empathy that Damon did, Ripley breaks down the senselessness of wealth, status, and etiquette by showing how shallow Dickie and Marge are. In some instances, it's darkly amusing to see Ripley disrupt their social circles and draw Dickie to a more carefree lifestyle, even if Marge wants them to settle down and have a family. There are instances in which Highsmith’s words are replicated in their entirety, but Ripley is also a masterwork in subtle audio cues that create suspense. By gradually emphasizing background noise, Ripley allows its viewers to experience the same perception of the world as its titular character does, which makes the build-up to Dickie’s murder even more suspenseful.
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Even though Ripley doesn’t expand beyond the narrative of Highsmith’s first novel, the series takes the time to show the highly ornate problem-solving that Ripley faces, which makes it more believable that he’s been able to operate in obscurity. Instead of using the murder as a brief instance of a jump scare, the episode "III Sommerso" meticulously examines how Ripley lures Dickie to a place where they will not be discovered and strategizes a way to cover up the evidence. By suggesting that Ripley has planned his actions, and that they are not done out of instinctual rage, the series is able to question why he has developed these skills in the first place and why he still chose to spend so much time soaking up Dickie’s lifestyle. While in no way does this make Ripley more likeable, at least in a traditional way, it does create a greater sense of intrigue as to how he will pull off his next scheme. There’s also a greater deal of suspense that comes from the appearance of Inspector Pietro Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi), the one member of law enforcement who seems to understand that nothing that Ripley says or admits to can be taken at face value. Ripley makes for a satisfying and conclusive experience, but there's an ambiguity to the characters that makes it even more compelling upon a rewatch.
Although it's often expressed that prestige television has replaced films as the best medium to tell mature stories for adults, Ripley is the rare series for which the description “cinematic” actually applies. Zaillian, a venerable screenwriter behind classics like Schindler’s List and American Gangster, creates a perfectly realized version of New York and Italy in the ‘60s that mirrors the stylized films that were released in the same timeframe. The film’s gorgeous look comes from Robert Elswit, the Oscar-winning cinematographer behind There Will Be Blood, who utilizes his trademark visual style that couldn’t be more distinct than the bland, oversaturated aesthetic that has become far too common within Netflix originals.
That being said, far too many Netflix shows feel like they were originally designed as movies and later extended to multiple episodes; in comparison, Ripley uses its extra running time to explore more existential questions, which are conveyed through the use of beautifully rendered flashbacks. While the fact that there are more novels in Highsmith’s series means that there’s always the potential that Zaillian and Scott could return for a second season, Ripley set such a high standard of quality that any follow-up would be met with tremendous expectations. It’s both a brilliant reconsideration for Highsmith fans and a great introduction to the world of Ripley for those unfamiliar with the material.
Ripley
TV-MA
Crime
Drama
Thriller
Release Date
2024 - 2023
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
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Steve Zaillian
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Andrew Scott
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