Ripley might not be the first adaptation of the classic novel it is based on, but the Netflix series sure makes you feel like it’s the first time you have been transported into Thomas Ripley’s world of lies. As someone who loved 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley movie, which starred Matt Damon as the title character, I’m happy to say that I had a great time with Netflix and Showtime’s new spin on the classic story.
Ripley is based on Patricia Highsmith’s award-winning 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of a series of books focused on the character Tom Ripley. While there were a few adaptations of Highsmith’s book prior to the Netflix show, Ripley succeeds by trying to be something different from what came before. With a strong story, the show needed to find the perfect cast, and Ripley‘s trio of leads proved mostly perfect fits for their characters.
Ripley stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood. Like the 1999 movie and the novel it is based on, the eight-episode limited series tells the story of Tom Ripley, who is hired by an industrialist to travel to Italy to try to get his son, Dickie, to come back home after a long stint overseas. After he accepts the job, Tom’s life turns into a tale of lies, darkness, and murder.
The limited series was created, written, and directed by Steven Zaillian. The creative has been nominated and won several awards over his long career, which includes a Best Adapted Screenplay win for his work on the critically acclaimed Schindler’s List, one of the best and most impactful movies I have ever watched. Knowing this, and how Zaillian was behind the screenplays of classics like Moneyball and Hannibal, I went into Ripley with high expectations, and the series was able to meet them at every turn.
Adding to a carefully crafted story that extended the contents of what had been told in a movie, Ripley lets its events breathe. There are prolonged scenes with little to no dialogue that serve to let characters — and viewers — catch their breath and collect their thoughts after nerve-wracking events. All of that is paired with the aesthetic choice to film Ripley entirely in black and white. The noir feel of the show is a perfect fit for its story about lies and murder, serving to elevate the tension of the series as the plot progresses.
Andrew Scott delivers a worthy performance as the series’ lead character. In the many moments where Ripley chooses to present as little dialogue as possible so that we can be transported into the characters’ state of mind, Scott particularly excels as Ripley. Communicating a character’s feelings and inner thoughts through only facial expressions and body language is no easy task, but the actor rises to the occasion, adding a sense of urgency to any scene with a mere look, making Ripley a character to be watched at all times.
Dakota Fanning is also great in the series. Fanning’s Marge sees her life completely change when Tom Ripley gets in the middle of her Italian life with Dickie. Marge is a good foe for Ripley, ever wary of what his true intentions might be while Dickie connects with his friend. Fanning marvelously brings to life all the different layers of Marge, changing and adapting to the confusing events that start to happen all around her.
While Johnny Flynn is far from a bad pick for Dickie Greenleaf, with the actor delivering a solid turn in the role, I can’t help but compare his performance to that of Jude Law in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Law ended up being nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance as Dickie. The actor simply presented a level of magnetic charisma that was lacking in the new version of the story, and while that takes the series down a notch, Ripley is still an exciting adaptation of the classic novel.