Now on Netflix, “An Ingenious Con-Artist Thriller” Fans Are Still Obsessing Over
I don’t mean to sound negative or rehash tired discourse, but what happened to movie stars? There was a time not too long ago when you could go to the movie theater, or to a Blockbuster, or flip through the pages of a magazine at the nail salon and see one beautiful, charismatic person after another, each one more interesting than the next. I’m not saying that there aren’t any actors who don’t influence audiences’ viewing habits or a film’s success with their sheer presence alone, but I’d argue that the actors we have now don’t possess the same kind of intrigue or glamour that we used to see back then—back then being less than 30 years ago.
Question for the older millennials and Gen Xers in the room: did you guys realize how lucky you were to see a movie with Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in 1999? Don’t say anything, I already know the answer.
The movie I’m talking about is The Talented Mr. Ripley, which is finally available to stream on Netflix starting December 13. This psychological thriller follows Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), a young con artist who is sent to Italy to track down Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the son of a wealthy shipbuilding magnate. When Ripley meets Greenleaf and his girlfriend, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) on the beach, he decides that he’s no longer going to try to convince Greenleaf to come home. Instead, he’s going to become Greenleaf. And for someone like Ripley, it won’t be hard to do.
Online, younger viewers who discovered the film because of Saltburn talk about how they “audibly gasped when Phillip Seymour Hoffman showed up.” Others simply called it “strange and enrapturing,” with a “scene-stealing” performance by Blanchett.
Watch the trailer below:
I’m a fan of Patricia Highsmith’s novel and the noirish Netflix adaptation that came out last year, but the 1999 adaptation has my favorite version of Ripley. I think this has something to do with Damon’s physicality. He’s good-looking but in a forgettable way, which is important as a con-man who needs to be able to blend into whatever environment he’s in, and he’s so ordinary, so boyish, you wouldn’t think he’s capable of murder (true story: I saw him at Brandy Melville once and didn’t realize he was shopping with his daughter, I just thought I was in line with a great dad).
So if you’re a fan of modern best-friend-turned-con-man movies like Saltburn or Lurker, or if you want to see some of the most iconic blondes in Hollywood out-act each other, then you should definitely watch The Talented Mr. Ripley when it arrives on Netflix on December 13. And if you love it, let me know: @ashjenexi on Instagram and X.
Categorized: Streaming News
