‘Ripley’ Is Netflix’s Underrated Masterpiece, And Far More Interesting Than The 90s Film
Courtesy of Netflix.
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
Another remake of a beloved film… what else is new?
This seems to be the common complaint about remake and reboots in Hollywood and streaming services in 2024. However, Netflix and Steven Zaillian’s latest project ‘Ripley’ — a television adaption of the 1955 book by Patricia Highsmith (‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’), is nothing short of breathtaking, and can easily be defined as a technical and creative masterpiece.
The highly acclaimed ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ from 1999 that contained a beloved all-star cast was a great adaption of the book — how could it possibly get any better? Observe.
Synopsis: A grifter named Ripley living in New York during the 1960s is hired by a wealthy man to bring his vagabond son home from Italy.
To begin, the 2024 show has something that 99.9% of shows and films don’t have: stunning cinematography. Robert Elswit, cinematographer, creatively showcases the beauty of Atrani, Italy and it’s surrounding regions with expert manipulation of light and shadow. Every frame is rendered a renaissance painting, and this should serve as a study-piece for photography scholars.
Here’s a bold but warranted statement: ‘Ripley’ is perhaps one of, if not the, best looking show ever made.
Whether Elswit changes the wides to a close-up or a brightly lit sky with blown-out highlights to the sinister dark of Ripley’s room, all of it has it’s place as it correlates with the ever-changing uncertainty of the character’s headspace.
Robert Elswit won an Academy Award for cinematography in 2008 for his work on ‘There Will Be Blood.’
Courtesy of Netflix.
The cast includes Andrew Scott as Ripley, Dakota Fanning as Marge, Johnny Flynn as Dickie, Eliot Sumner as Freddie, and the ever-captivating Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Pietro Ravini. All of them are nothing short of the top of their game.
Andrew Scott is wonderfully cast in a role where he shows so much restraint, and gives a rather nuanced performance as Tom Ripley, yet, you know by looking at him that there is something far more sinister going on under the surface.
Something the show does better over the film adaption is showcasing the truly psychotic and sociopathic nature of Ripley’s character. For instance, in the film, Tom Ripley does bad things by accident, showing remorse, then regretfully proceeds with them in order to cover his tracks. But in the show, Ripley does everything intentionally because he wants to — and with little to no remorse. This is also presented in a nuanced fashion.
A standout performance among the cast was Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Pietro Ravini. It felt authentic, genuine, and felt like you were truly watching a detective trying to put this complex puzzle together as Ripley tricks and sways his motives from the outside.
Fanning and Flynn in ‘Ripley,’ Courtesy of Netlix.
Through the narrow corridors and never-ending stairs of Atrani to the open waters of the sea, director and writer Steven Zaillian lingers on our characters for a very long time, allowing us to read their thoughts the more we observe their stillness — and in Ripley’s case, sitting with him long after a murder. We get to witness what happens in the aftermath of murderous horror — something that is almost never shown — and something that rattles you to the core.
Eliot Sumner as Freddie Miles in ‘Ripley,’ Courtesy of Netflix.
If there were any show to binge-watch in a single day, it would be ‘Ripley.’ It’s intellectual, visually gorgeous, intense, and drenched in subtle terror and on-edge uncertainty.
So much care and craft went into this production and it’s all laid out on screen. This is how to do a TV show. It’s up there with Netflix’s elite; which would include the likes of ‘Mindhunter.’
Watch the trailer for ‘Ripley’ below:
Our score: ★★★★★
(out of 5 stars)
