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Ripley's Game -
Have you ever had a friend who won't let anything go? Tom Ripley is such a guy, and to a...let's just say extreme degree. As classy, refined and witty as the classic con man himself, this entry follows an established Ripley showing what he does to remain that way. His neighbor, family man Jonathan (Scott), says something unkind about him he wishes he could take back because Ripley changes him from a humble picture framer to a contract killer shortly afterwards. The scheme gets complicated when a former business partner of Ripley, Reeves (Winstone), requires Jonathan's services as well.
Malkovich is such a natural fit for Ripley that it's uncanny - if his life resembles the one in his old iPhone commercials, he might as well be a real life one - but thankfully, he does not have to carry the whole movie on his shoulders. Winstone stands up to him by making Reeves one heck of a walking, talking loose end, not to mention a comically boorish and unsophisticated one. As for Scott, I daresay he rivals Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston for how palpable he makes Jonathan's dilemma, who I mention because he also has a degenerative condition and a family to insure. Both of them also make ideal sounding boards for Ripley's philosophy, which rivals and comes close to sounding as poetic as Harry Lime's Ferris wheel musings in The Third Man. Regardless, if it's thrills you crave more than moral dilemmas, the movie has that covered, but be prepared to laugh while you're clenching your armrests. A scene on a train in particular will make you wonder how many bodies, err...people can fit inside a bathroom. Your craving for Old World luxuries will also be satisfied, thanks to cinematography that makes those moments resemble a moving issue of Architectural Digest.
There are a few eyebrow-raising moments in this, and I don't mean the kind that accompany a pinky extension. Tongue-in-cheek or not, it is too convenient that each of Jonathan's targets put themselves in situations that make them easy targets. Also, considering it mostly takes place in Italy, there are barely any Italians. Other than that, it's a satisfyingly classy thriller that does the character justice and that will make you wonder if every fortune is a crime, not just Ripley's. However, if you know nothing about Tom Ripley, I recommend watching Purple Noon or The Talented Mr. Ripley first because the movie assumes you are familiar with him going in.
Have you ever had a friend who won't let anything go? Tom Ripley is such a guy, and to a...let's just say extreme degree. As classy, refined and witty as the classic con man himself, this entry follows an established Ripley showing what he does to remain that way. His neighbor, family man Jonathan (Scott), says something unkind about him he wishes he could take back because Ripley changes him from a humble picture framer to a contract killer shortly afterwards. The scheme gets complicated when a former business partner of Ripley, Reeves (Winstone), requires Jonathan's services as well.
Malkovich is such a natural fit for Ripley that it's uncanny - if his life resembles the one in his old iPhone commercials, he might as well be a real life one - but thankfully, he does not have to carry the whole movie on his shoulders. Winstone stands up to him by making Reeves one heck of a walking, talking loose end, not to mention a comically boorish and unsophisticated one. As for Scott, I daresay he rivals Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston for how palpable he makes Jonathan's dilemma, who I mention because he also has a degenerative condition and a family to insure. Both of them also make ideal sounding boards for Ripley's philosophy, which rivals and comes close to sounding as poetic as Harry Lime's Ferris wheel musings in The Third Man. Regardless, if it's thrills you crave more than moral dilemmas, the movie has that covered, but be prepared to laugh while you're clenching your armrests. A scene on a train in particular will make you wonder how many bodies, err...people can fit inside a bathroom. Your craving for Old World luxuries will also be satisfied, thanks to cinematography that makes those moments resemble a moving issue of Architectural Digest.
There are a few eyebrow-raising moments in this, and I don't mean the kind that accompany a pinky extension. Tongue-in-cheek or not, it is too convenient that each of Jonathan's targets put themselves in situations that make them easy targets. Also, considering it mostly takes place in Italy, there are barely any Italians. Other than that, it's a satisfyingly classy thriller that does the character justice and that will make you wonder if every fortune is a crime, not just Ripley's. However, if you know nothing about Tom Ripley, I recommend watching Purple Noon or The Talented Mr. Ripley first because the movie assumes you are familiar with him going in.