Tom Ripley Adaptations Overview

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[00:01:01] Welcome all, welcome all. I'm talking about one of my favorite books that got adapted into all kinds of versions, and that is Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley character. That's right, I read The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Women's Lit of All Things. I had a bunch of literature classes I was taking in high school, and I loved that book dearly.

[00:01:27] I fell in love with all kinds of stuff, everything. I was written Tom Clancy, James Patterson, all kinds of stuff, and Patricia Highsmith, say what you will, awful person, great author. Seems like to be a trend here these days. Anyway, enough jokes, let's get to it. So, yeah, I've really, I knew there were adaptations of this, and I think the Tom Ripley character just appeals.

[00:01:55] It's just a very deceptive, you know, just career criminal, a con artist, serial killer, you know, it's just, and again, there have been five movies, and a Netflix miniseries to date. We'll get to all those in various order. So, but everyone owes it to themselves to watch all the different versions. So, yeah.

[00:02:24] The character was actually first portrayed in 1960 for Rene Clement's Purple Noon. And this was one of those, I knew I had seen it, I didn't leave any real big impression, it was just average for me. I know it's a very popular movie, I did not care one way or the other about it. I'm probably not the best one to talk to about French New Wave.

[00:02:49] I get the influence, there's plenty I like, there's also plenty I do not care for, and this was one of them. It was just one of them, I just might have seen it on Turner Classic Movies, and I just thought, yeah, it's okay, but it's not great. It's definitely not fascinating, like on the pages of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Then, lo and behold, it gets adapted and portrayed by Dennis Hopper. And it's the American friend.

[00:03:18] And I think critics who both like and dislike this have said it best. This is a Wim Wenders doing a neo-noir about an art forger helping out his pal, who has leukemia, and they do a giant scuffle together, and Ripley basically is a hitman.

[00:03:41] And I found it watchable, but it didn't leave anything for me personally. I should probably rewatch it again, but that's okay. I didn't care for it. So, yeah, there's all kinds of filmmakers making cameos in this. Bruno Gans, who many will recognize from Wings of Desire, but also by Wim Wenders.

[00:04:06] He made an excellent Hitler in Downfall, and he's been in other stuff like Ridley Scott's crappy drama, The Counselor, as well as various other just German productions. But that matters not. You probably know him best for the Liam Neeson film Unknown,

[00:04:27] as well as The Dust of Time, which is a solid slow burn drama, as well as The Overrated Reader. Could have sworn he was in Inglourious Basterds, but that is not the case. No, he's just been a very busy German actor,

[00:04:53] and he does good here as the dying pal who's going to be taken advantage of by Ripley. So, really, the main heart of this is definitely the solid scenery and seeing Dennis Hopper really tear into the role. It's just rare seeing him at this point in his life when he was struggling to remember his lines

[00:05:21] and just play it very calm and collected. I don't think he completely fits the part, but he definitely is a joy to watch nonetheless. So, now let's get to the best fucking adaptation, and that is the 50s set. Rather faithful, but still a good movie on its own. So, Tell Me Mr. Ripley comes out in 99. You know, I really do appreciate it still being applauded to this day.

[00:05:50] Again, so, in that version, that's from the actual novel of the same name, and Mingle's scenery, and going beyond just a neo-noir look, and just showing how conflicted Ripley is, how he becomes attached to the people who he takes advantage of. And this is the heart of this movie. This is why this works so well. And again, you gotta think, at this point in his life,

[00:06:19] Matt Damon had already done all the different productions with his pal Ben Affleck, and appearing in Kevin Smith's stuff, and then see him, you know, post, you know, getting all this acclaim with Saving Private Ryan, and Courage Under Fire, and the Beloved still holds up Good Will Hunting, and it's like,

[00:06:48] so he was really at his best here. Like, he has a pal who is basically just a pawn in his old scheme, which is Kate Blanchett, an early role for her. She steals every show, and no exception here. She was great here. And you have Gwyneth Paltrow here as the friend of Ripley's buddy, Dickie Greenleaf,

[00:07:17] and so, yes, I know there was a lot of homophobia about this movie at the time, but regardless of your beliefs, wrong or right, this is not an erotic filler in any way, shape, or form. This is just a movie that, again, has a sexual undertone, but it's not, that's not the concept. The main concept is all the deceit and the scam and how it all comes to bite one in the ass, and you got Philip Seymour Hoffman

[00:07:47] is basically another guy trying to take advantage of this whole mess. Basically, you kind of get the inference that he would have probably inherited some money from Greenleaf or scammed his way into this, and basically, he knows too much, and so Ripley decides to dispatch him, but I also totally forgot that James Rebhorn was in this, Philip Baker Hall, and some other, just

[00:08:17] Gretchen E-Golf was on the show, Martial Law. But yeah, Mingala does good making this movie his own as well as adapting it, so Jack Davenport, many will know as the one British superior guy from Pirates of the Caribbean, the Norrington guy, he was on here. Yeah, solid cast, great scenery, just

[00:08:47] the music definitely reminded me of The Godfather, just how it just kind of blows in, blows out, and then unfocuses, you know, the trailer for this, looking back at it, it pretty much advertised it exactly what the movie was going to be, and yet, I don't know why it didn't hit all the right audiences, but it's all good, got plenty of nominations, let's look at those actually for a minute. So, five Oscars,

[00:09:18] and so, Jude Law got a nominee, Mingala got a nominee, Art Direction, that's in costume design and music by Gabrielle Yarra, yep, those are, those have merit. Saturn Award, let's go to Best Action Adventure Thriller Film, so there you go, and same thing for Jude Law, he's getting some nominees, he was the standout. The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, I gave it to the other cast members, but yeah, Ultrella, so there you go,

[00:09:48] and BAFTA got some nominees as well, so, Critics' Choice, yeah, well, I definitely agree with the critics on that one, that is, that's a solid entry, and again, I mean, this is apparently Matt Damon's favorite film he's ever made, and I can understand why, he's having to really play with fire in this role, and for a $40 million movie, I didn't see anything that

[00:10:18] looked, you know, overspent, or poorly used, it was a rare production between Paramount and Miramax, and yeah, I thought it was amazing, still holds up for me, and then we get to Ripley's Game, so this is going to be a half and half, so much like The American Friend, it's based on Ripley's Game novel, the same name, and so, this was interesting seeing

[00:10:48] this whole trade-off here, so, you know, this was where I first knew about the Tom Ridley character, I was like, I better read these books, and check out this movie, and basically, this has, again, art forging, and the gangster in this is played by Ray Winstone, I love how the man who's basically participating in this version is none other than Dougree Scott, and you know, he needs money, he's dying, they overplay a lot of that,

[00:11:17] and so, I was half and half on this one, but it is absolutely worth a watch, it was just one of those that went to cinemas overseas, and we only got it back in the days of Blockbuster in 2002, but yeah, Malkovich is an absolute choice, Ripley, he, so, this movie doesn't like it or hate it, I didn't, it was very watchable, very worth watching, I didn't feel like it made use of every bit of it, but this is the kind of movie, I will

[00:11:47] absolutely re-watch it, and Malkovich, the absolute best version of Ripley, I know it's cliche to say, it's just like when I say Tom Hanks or Denzel Washington stole the show, were you surprised? Not really, they're so good at their job, now, this guy signed an award for best DVD release, so that's just it, yeah, it released in 2002, and then came out for the most part, especially in

[00:12:16] US and UK in 05, and I'm like, what the hell, what's going on here, so, yeah, I can't recommend it enough, I think, again, it's a like it or hate it movie, and it didn't make use of all of his time, but I still would put this on occasionally, like, it's a very reasonable thrill ride, and Malkovich

[00:12:46] literally just knows how to have this guy, this betrayal be both suave and deceitful, and there's all kinds, and this one is also interesting in that you wonder if the character's actually friends or not, so there's a lot of utter deceit there that has a lot of fun, and it is wild how,

[00:13:17] again, you know, Ripley's disguise, and this is, I'm a picture framer, and then it's like, oh, now I'm going to be a hitman, and it's just interesting how they do focus a little more on the family, and Lena Hady is great as the wife of Scott's, you know, beef, and she's like, this is a bad idea, this is a really bad idea, what the fuck are you doing here, so, and, so it's good having a little more awareness

[00:13:47] there, and so then we get to 2005's Ripley Underground, this is hard to find, it doesn't seem to be widely available still, and so this one is way more sleazier, erotic, and sometimes, and, so here's a connection, Dougree Scott was in the last one, but his wife, actress Claire Ferlaini, is in this one, so this one,

[00:14:16] is interesting, like, it's developed by Donald Westlake, who's best known for various adaptations of The Hunter, and for those who don't know, what does that mean? Well, if you've seen Payback, some of those other adaptations of his work, you know, like Slay Ground, also best known for creating

[00:14:45] The Stepfather, and writing movies like The Crifters, so, yeah, a pulp novelist, if you will, and, so this is what's interesting, is just seeing how he got involved with this screenplay, and, he's, it's not bad, it really isn't at all, and, uh, William Blake Herron, who's done other low-key indies, like, Texas Funeral, as well

[00:15:15] as comedies like Role Models, and, the 2000s Born Identity movie, various other short-loaded TV shows, I thought, again, you know, it definitely did have kind of a spy undertone to it, even though it's just another swindler tale, and, so, again, it, has more to do with the deceitful nature of the overall Ripley character, and,

[00:15:45] uh, this is easily, so this is the second best movie, and the third best version of the character by far, and, uh, Roger Spottieswood, who's best known for movies like, you know, writing the original 48 hours, and directing thrillers like The Sixth Day, Shoot to Kill, Tom Barringer and Cindy Poitier, the war film, Shake Hands with the Devil, and, all kinds of other thrillers,

[00:16:15] you know, I would often get them mixed up with Michael Apted, and, uh, uh, the No Way Out director, um, Roger Donaldson, but same kind of deal, he had that same whole deal of, uh, just, having, just, dramatic tension, and, he's done his fair share of other, just, satire, and war dramas,

[00:16:45] he did the James Bond film with Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as some very ambitious TV movies like Hiroshima and Murdered Live, yeah, I, I got nothing against him, he's, he's had some duds like Air America, but it seems like his probably best received ones have been The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, uh, Under Fire with Nick Nolte, and the TV movie for HBO The Last Innocent Man,

[00:17:15] as well as other stuff like Third Degree Burn and Turner and Hooch, who can forget that? Very solid filler director and in this case, no exception here. Uh, again, this is gonna appeal to all kinds of people, this is gonna appeal to those who want something, again, like, if you're were to watch this on any of the HBO Cinemax channels, it would totally deliver as a Sunday night movie and it's also gonna deliver for those who want something still just very well thought out.

[00:17:45] It's interesting here seeing William Dafoe as one of the guys who Ripley rips off. See what I did there? Ripley's rip off. Alan Cummins and Tom Wilkinson didn't have a supporting role, it's nothing to shake a stick at, but still solid performances, decent plotting. I haven't gotten to even the betrayal, so again, Barry Peppered, here's a Saber and Private Ryan connection, Barry freaking Pepper, Private Jackson gets to play him, so I have no doubt anyone who was doing the casting, it's just too damn

[00:18:15] coincidental, it's like, let's take anybody related to the last two adaptations in some capacity and put them in this. He's on fire as this portrayal as well, he really hits it off, he really does own this role. Again, you don't get any sense that he's echoing whoever portrayed the person last, he's just here to have

[00:18:45] fun with the role, be suave one minute and then show his real violent underside next. I like how he's changed his hairstyle up a bunch. Yeah, in fact, I'm going to go spill it out of the gates now. When William Defoe gets murdered, it's very over the top and the movie's having fun with it even though you know it's coming. So I think that's just it.

[00:19:27] all pretty solid in their own right. So yeah, it apparently came out in Germany and France and mirrored at AFI Fest and then years later was in the Netherlands and Argentina. Man, the 2000s were a weird time. It's just that no one knew how to market stuff. That didn't necessarily mean the movie itself was bad but it was definitely compromised. So yeah, that was the

[00:19:56] one of the most things that Let's go to the newest adaptation. So let's hit Steve Zalian who is best known for popular movies like Searching for Bobby Fisher and Schindler's List as well as clusterfucks like The Irishman. Don't get me wrong, I never know if he's going to be good or not. He's rewritten blogbusters like Crimson Tide. He's also

[00:20:26] done a solid job on stuff like American Gangster and Gangster New York and then again sometimes you get a dud like Hannibal. So in this case Andrew Scott who many will recognize from working on the various Playtone HBO productions. You've seen him as one of the supporting villains in a James Bond film Spectre. He was in

[00:20:56] LGBTQ British film Pride. He was in a podcast series adaptation with British actors Cynthia O'Revo and Andrew Garfield based on George Orwell's 1984 and he's lately been in his dark materials but yeah he was just one of those I would see him pop up and like I know that face. it's not Sebastian Stan it's not Bucky from

[00:21:25] Captain America but yeah so he's Andrew Scott's had some a lot of good stuff. He was in the legal filler Denial with Rachel Wise and he's been in other TV movies like Legacy he's the kidnapping voice and Locke of Tom Hardy he's been a guest star on other stuff like Carol's Law

[00:21:54] and I mainly know him as Colonel William Smith in the John Adams miniseries but yeah he's been in some other stuff like Killing Hitler guest star on Band of Brothers he actually was a soldier on the beach in the original Saving Pride Ryan so there you go it all comes back to Saving Pride Ryan but yeah he's been in some other stuff like Miracle at Midnight which was a TV movie that aired on ABC back in the day so he's had an interesting run just because

[00:22:26] he's an Irish actor but he just drops into all these different American and British TV shows I totally forgot that he was also in you know many my sister mainly immortalizes him because he was a good Moriarty on the Sherlock show he also was on Fleabag I've been needing to catch up on it so this is as catched up as I'm ever gonna be for a while I think he does okay as Ripley and again he this is basically

[00:22:56] it's less about the Ripley's game novel and definitely more of the talented Mr. Ripley's like hey I killed my buddy you know billionaire Dickie Greenleaf here's why so good casts you know Dakota Fanning gets to play Marge who finds out about this and who again Tom considers killing there's some decent you know very solid reviews as well as some

[00:23:26] bashing of this this was another one I was in between on so I think Wilkeem would mind as good as the one colleague who Tom confesses in and basically makes a defense for the inspectors inspector was good okay and Herbert was well cast but I do see a decent complaint on saying

[00:23:56] Greenleaf didn't come off as suave or handsome like he's often described as this was one of those this is another one I think I might have liked this had it been a two-parter there was no need for eight episodes because it was all just playing around just again the black and white choice was actually perfect for this but again much like the

[00:24:26] American friend this is a okay noir you know standalone thing and less of a Ripley thing so I'm sorry I'm picky on this and so if anyone else can be picky on their favorite characters so can I you've seen this a billion times and you know deception didn't get

[00:24:56] any intrigue I think he played it realistically but however they framed him it didn't come alive on screen and it just because you know how he did it there's really no suspense at all in this one so then it's just me looking at my clock there's some other decent supporting actors and there was some stuff to like but the Rome banker was definitely well cast he stole

[00:25:26] his scenes it's set in the 60s and it does embrace that but yeah I I mean you could set it anywhere and it would have made a difference I I didn't care for this as an adaptation but it was worth a watch but it was still pretty average it's just the style

[00:25:56] showed glimpses of coming alive but it ultimately was undone by just basically just became so in love with itself but it did more talking than showing and it was like no that goes against the screenwriting rule you show you don't tell you know and again I really

[00:26:26] came into this as open minded as I could it did not work for me at all I think it's a good production but it's ultimately undone by just not making use of its time again didn't care for it I'm also not saying that lightly I know many people are like oh you monster I'm like no I looked at it from all angles I didn't think it needed to be that way I also don't know who this is for it seems like a lot of

[00:27:19] come alive come to down I didn't do anything deceitful it's like what is this scooby-doo this supposed to be Ripley the deceiver who loves what he does you know psychotic energy is missing we need a little more of that next time we'll return after these messages if you like

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