The Talented Mr Ripley review

The Talented Mr Ripley is an astonishingly intricate psychological drama torn from the pages of Patricia Highsmith's best-selling thriller.

Matt Damon plays Tom Ripley, a seemingly harmless social misfit who is hired by a wealthy shipping magnate to track down his playboy son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law).

Ripley's search takes him to Naples where he insinuates his way into Dickie's highly desirable life by pretending to be an old college classmate. Never one to remember a face, Dickie welcomes Ripley with open arms, introducing him to girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) and inviting him to stay with them at their luxury villa.

Ripley looks upon the playboy as an idol, but his infatuation soon rages out of control and he accidentally kills Dickie during a boating trip. Initially horrified by his actions, Ripley quickly brings himself to his senses and realises he has the opportunity to assume Dickie's high society identity. The plan works surprisingly well, until Marge reappears asking awkward questions.

Every role in Anthony Minghella's wonderful follow-up to The English Patient has been cast with expert precision. Paltrow exudes an iciness as the girlfriend who suspects foul play, Law is at once incredibly charming and charismatic, and actually quite unpleasant, using and discarding people who are no longer of any use to him.

But the film's heart and soul is Matt Damon and he doesn't disappoint, creating a monster who we root for at every turn despite his heinous crimes, who just wants to be loved but cannot stop himself from telling one lie after the next. It's an astonishing performance in many ways, invested with so many nuances and layers, culminating in an emotionally wrenching final scene that takes Ripley's deception to its shattering and logical conclusion.