THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999) is a well-done movie, which I had been meaning to see for the longest time. Only Jack Davenport’s character, who plays Tom Ripley’s eventual love interest, comes across as sympathetic to me. The rest of the main players are overly self absorbed spoiled brats, which the title character takes advantage of through his con artistry.
Matt Damon does an excellent job playing Ripley, a covert narcissist sociopath gay man in late 1950s NYC and Italy. There are moments of intense unease as he gallivants about in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, pretending to be someone else. The sepia tone lighting in places, period clothing and music, are effective in giving a vintage look and feel to the narrative, which grows increasingly disturbing towards a jarring climax.
The Practical, Fanciful Pagan 