Ripley is one of the most intriguing series I’ve seen in a long time. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s absolutely engrossing so far. I’ll have a full review later, but for now wanted to give a spoiler-free recommendation to add this show to your watch-list.
The limited series is based on the book The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. The first three of her “Ripliad” novels have been adapted into films five times. Many of her other works have been as well, but this is the first full adaptation of the novel for TV (scenes from the novels were adapted into the 1982 series A Gift Of Murder).
Ripley the series was written and directed by Steven Zaillian, the writer of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, for which he won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. The extraordinary cinematography—which I’ll talk a bit more about below—was helmed by Robert Elswit, who won an Academy Award for There Will Be Blood.
The series feels expensive in a way that very few have on Netflix in recent years. It’s entirely shot in black and white. Gorgeous shots of New York City, the Italian seaside and other locations are at once beautiful and haunting. This, along with the gorgeous score composed by Jeff Russo (Fargo series, What Remains Of Edith Finch the video game, The Night Of series, etc.) makes every scene feel ominous and unsettling. It feels very much like an old film noir, right down to the dialogue, but with all the modern technology to make it perfectly crisp. This version of Ripley is cold and colorless, echoing its chief protagonist’s own chill aura.
Tom Ripley is played this time by Andrew Scott, who you’ll recognize from all sorts of things from Sherlock, where he played Sherlock’s nemesis, Moriarty, to the priest from the wonderfully odd Fleabag. Here, he plays the titular character with grim perfection. His American accent is flawless. There’s a dreadfulness clinging to him, a hollowness behind the eyes.
The other two main stars are Johnny Flynn (Lovesick) as the rich American expatriate playboy, Dickie Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning as Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge Sherwood, who is both a writer and far more suspicious of Ripley than the rather mellow Greenleaf. The last thing I saw Fanning in was Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. She plays a much different character here. Both provide captivating performances, even if the lens is mainly focused on Ripley and his monstrous ambitions.
How these three’s lives intertwine I will not discuss here—no spoilers, remember, even though many people have read the books or seen previous adaptations, including the 1999 Matt Damon version.
Suffice to say, it’s a very tense and engrossing watch, but also a very, very slow burn. If you’re impatient and don’t care for slower crime dramas, this might not be for you. If you like to soak in the views—truly some of the most impressive, ambitious, daring cinematography I’ve ever seen—and don’t mind a slower thriller that’s really devoted to character study first, you should give Ripley a watch. There’s nothing else like it on Netflix, and really nothing else like it on TV.
I’ll post my spoiler-filled review later, so be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow me Twitter and Facebook where you can also let me know what you think of this show.
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