Ripley's Game

This movie is perhaps the best of the Ripley movies out there. Malkovich, cynical sociopath, with cool but deadly presence, is perfectly cast. Movie takes a fresh look at some moral issues, and, as with other material from Patricia Highsmith's pen, challenges common morality. Movie is shot on location, which is only appropriate. A bit old fashioned and not for the masses marinated in social media "culture", but if you liked Silence of the Lambs this might be a movie for you.

Tom Ripley is at it again, this time in "Ripley's Game," a 2002 European production starring John Malkovich, Dougray Scott, Ray Winstone, and a host of European actors and actresses, all very good in their roles. Ripley at the beginning of the film is involved in an art scam with a partner, Reeves (Winstone). It doesn't go down quite as planned. The film picks up three years later in Italy where Tom is living la vida loca, fabulous house, gorgeous musician girlfriend, best cook around. He overhears himself being insulted by a picture framer, Jonathan Trevanny (Scott) while at a party. Later, Ripley's old partner appears and wants some people rubbed out, and Ripley suggests Trevanny. Knowing human nature as he does, he's pretty sure Trevanny will do it and in Ripley's world, a man's soul is fitting revenge for an insult. However, Reeves wants more than one job done. Ripley then becomes a little more involved than he wanted.

The character of Tom Ripley is a fascinating one, and he is played to complete perfection here by John Malkovich who manages to capture both Tom's charm and even kindness as well as his dangerous side. Though he lacks Matt Damon's boyish charm, this is Ripley later on, and Tom has added to his survival skills. For Ripley, it's all part of the game.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" was a very disappointing film with great scenery and some incredible absurdities; this film is not without some absurdity but here, because of the director and Malkovich's handling of the material, the absurdity of the scene on the train would almost be funny if the reality of it wasn't so gruesome. In "The Talented Mr. Ripley," stupidity was played stupidly, such as Tom pretending to be David while Philip Seymour Hoffman was in the next room.

I found this film much better, much more suspenseful and compelling. I hope Malkovich has another chance to play Ripley.

The picture focuses on Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) , a cold and cult assassin . At the beginning , the cool Ripley and his associate (Ray Winstone) are planning a swindle which goes wrong . After that , the wealthy as well as ruthless killer convinces a man (Dougray Scott) happily married (Lena Headley) to execute a crime on a mobster for a great amount of money ; but the happenings go out of control and the cruel gangsters seek vengeance .

This provoking film is an exciting thriller and superbly interpreted . In the picture there is drama , action , tension , intrigue and a little bit of violence when the murders happen . From start to finish the suspense is continuous and that's why it is entertaining . Acting by John Malkovich is top-notch , he's excellent as Ripley , an urbane , and literate -but brutal- murderer with exquisite manners living luxuriously in a villa in the Veneto . Dougray Scott as the ill-fated and victim of his play gives a first-rate interpretation . Ray Winstone plays correctly an avaricious and savage nasty . Fascinating musical score by the great Ennio Morricone . Glimmer and watchable cinematography by Alfio Contini who shows stunningly the Italian palaces , theaters and interior scenarios . The film is based on Patricia Highsmith novel , whose Ripley personage has been well adapted in former versions as ¨Blazing sun¨ (Rene Clair with Alain Delon) and ¨The talented Mr.Ripley¨ (Anthony Minghella with Matt Damon) . The motion picture was rightly directed by Liliana Cavani (The night porter , Francesco) . However , financial problems and former commitment to direct an opera caused Cavani had to leave the production before final shooting and Malkovich , then , took over and completed the movie . The flick will appeal to John Malkovich fans . Rating : interesting and well worth seeing .

In Ripley's Game, the latest screen adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's series of novels, John Malkovich plays Tom Ripley, the bisexual art connoisseur whose game is manipulation of people for his own ends. The film directed by 70-year old Liliana Cavani, is entertaining but lacks the probing subtlety of Wim Wenders The American Friend, a 1979 Ripley adaptation. Ripley is an unscrupulous art dealer and also a cold-blooded killer. He is cerebral, wealthy, charming, talented, and entirely without principle with something clever to say about everything, even murder. "The most interesting thing", he says, "about doing something terrible is often, in a few days, you can't even remember it." Ripley justifies his acts by saying that they rid the world of useless predators. Malkovich's performance keeps the film afloat, though his smug, sinister persona often borders on camp and Dougray Scott is unconvincing as picture framer Jonathan Trevanny.

Ripley's Game takes place about twenty years after Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley leaves off. Ripley (Malkovich) has married into wealth and now resides in a luxurious Italian villa with his wife Luisa (Chiara Caselli), a professional harpsichord player. When an old crony, Reeves (Ray Winstone) asks him for help in dealing with Berlin mobsters threatening his business, Ripley thinks of a local art restorer and picture framer, Jonathan Trevanny (Scott) who is known to be dying of leukemia. Trevanny is a good candidate in Ripley's mind because he recently insulted him at a party by blurting out "That's the trouble with Ripley-too much money and no taste." Ripley's interest, however, is mostly in the pleasure involved of seeing a mild family man turned into a cold-blooded assassin, no matter how implausible the scenario might be. Trevanny falls for the bait and collects $100,000 to kill a Russian at the zoo.

As one hit deserves another, a second more dangerous plot is hatched to take place on a crowded train but Ripley has to come to Trevanny's rescue when too many bad guys show up. Afterwards, events begin spiraling out of control forcing the picture framer to hide the truth from his wife Sarah (Lena Headley). Though Malkovich fits into the role perfectly, Scott's performance provides little insight into what led a decent family man to become a paid killer. The ending, which could have been suspenseful, is simply unpleasant as the body count escalates. Though beautifully photographed and filled with dark humor, there is little at stake in Ripley's Game and the entire project feels unimportant as reflected in the studio's decision to bypass a theatrical release and send it straight to DVD.

Anyone who starts watching this little known film will have a hard time turning away. It takes Patricia Highsmith's novel and turns it into a stylish thriller, full of handsome interiors and lush location photography in Germany and Italy. Given the benefit of expert performances by John Malkovich, Dougray Scott and Ray Winstone, it's a tale that moves along at a fast clip and never lets go of the suspense.

It's more absorbing to watch without knowing anything of the plot, so I'll skip plot details and just say it has elements of Highsmith's other suspense tales (innocent man drawn into a murder for hire scheme) and most closely resembles her "Talented Mr. Ripley" story so successfully brought to the screen a few years ago.

John Malkovich, with his strange acting mannerisms makes a quirky anti-hero as Ripley and gets excellent support from Dougray Scott who makes the innocent carpenter a believable and sympathetic collaborator. Ray Winstone makes the obnoxious Reeves a vivid character. The train sequence involving the second murder is extremely well done.

Highly recommended as a vivid, colorful thriller.