SummarySet in the 1960s, con man Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is hired to go to Italy to bring the wealthy man's son home to New York in Steve Zaillian's eight-part limited series based on Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley novels.
SummarySet in the 1960s, con man Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is hired to go to Italy to bring the wealthy man's son home to New York in Steve Zaillian's eight-part limited series based on Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley novels.
Black and white might make “Ripley” seem colder from the outside, but it’s actually just more cinematically immersive, plunging you uncomfortably close to a psyche that feels unnervingly unstable. And Scott is a true tour de force of a disheartened character, so superficially cool and assured on the surface, it’s all just a performance, on top of a performance trying to mask the things underneath that are almost too much to bear.
By toning down the glamour in his mesmerizing adaptation, Zaillian heightens these unsettling questions. His is the darkest Ripley yet, lonelier and darker even than Highsmith’s, and deeper, too.
Best series of the year so far. Andrew Scott deserves an Emmy for this. On-location photography is next level. This is what happens when Netflix lets talented people cook without imposing its ugly industrial aesthetic.d
Stunnning. Beautiful. Engaging. Andrew Scott is amazing, but also everything else. Cinematography is art, with Hitchcock vibes, And all in B/W. Recommended.
While some might be put off by “Ripley’s” measured tempo and its detached icicle of a protagonist, noir fans won’t be and will admire how effectively it revives an often overworked genre. Simply put, “Ripley” nails it.
A picturesque portrait of a serial killer, this is less romance-with-a-sting-in-its-tail than it is pure sting. Its gloomy tone won’t suit everyone, but it’s rare to see film noir this exquisitely crafted on TV.
Other than unnecessarily elongating the story and filming it in black and white, Netflix’s adaptation does nothing to improve on the Oscar-nominated film that already exists.
And though Scott isn’t exactly Ripley, his approach to scenes is so weird and idiosyncratic that he often makes the performance work on its own terms. Still, there’s no getting past the flatness of this series, the dead air between exchanges of dialogue and the overall feeling of grimness. “Ripley” is neither Highsmith nor a plausible substitute. If anything, it’s a missed opportunity.
Finally, a show takes its viewers seriously. No real expository dialogue, or as less as possible - maybe when other characters are trying to solve what has happened, but not the main character. Most of Ripley's intentions and actions are subtext. You don't end up with unanswered questions. It's fun to pace a story and the development of characters around subtext. And let's not forget about the breathtaking visuals.
This series starts as a questionable character (Andrew Scott) is hired by a rich man to bring his wandering son home from Italy. Once there, he gets a taste of the luxe casual lifestyle and decides to dig in. This show's first impression is the lovely locations that are shot in gorgeous black and white. The visuals are continually stunning. Meanwhile, Scott creates a character that's quietly sullen and subtly evil. The direction and editing are at a deliberate pace that details every action with plenty of observational time. Some may find this methodical approach too slow, but the show's dark style is what makes it most appealing.
Accurate depiction of Italy, still contemporary: mostly everyone is slow including the system which doesn't work and mostly everyone is an incompetent.
Regarding the book, it's about a creep and it's just trash material itself, better on the screen.
An incredibly beautiful adaptation of the story but unfortunately terrible casting let this one down.
It makes so sense that the characters are so old. There is no chemistry between any of them and Freddie being a trans man was a clumsy attempt to be progressive.
Apart from the stunning black and white cinematography this is inferior in every way to the film adaptation.
Watch the Film Instead! Great cinematography and solid acting can't save this admirable effort from the all-consuming grasp of the DEI and ESG censorship committee. If you have shares in Netflix you're probably all onboard for the political agenda that's pretty much infecting most of Hollywood nowadays - 2 stars