The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
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An ambitious con artist becomes dangerously obsessed with the life of a wealthy socialite while traveling through Italy.
The story
In 1958 New York City, a man named Tom Ripley is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy and persuade his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to return home. While traveling on an ocean liner, Tom begins to forge his own identity and befriends the wealthy Dickie. Set against the backdrop of the Italian coast, Tom becomes increasingly obsessed with Dickie's extravagant lifestyle and the social circle surrounding him. As the two spend time together in the fictional village of Mongibello, Tom's growing obsession begins to blur the lines between his own identity and the life he desires to steal.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1958, Tom Ripley is hired to convince the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf to return to the U.S. while traveling through Italy. Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie's lifestyle and begins to forge his own identity. After a series of events involving a local woman's suicide and a physical altercation on a boat, Tom kills Dickie and assumes his identity, forging documents to maintain the ruse. He eventually kills a man who discovers his fraud and frames the victim for the crime. Tom continues his deception, even when confronted by others, and eventually ends up on a voyage to Greece with a lover, Peter, whom he eventually kills after a confrontation regarding his lies.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 139
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Anthony Minghella
- Writers
- Anthony Minghella · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Tom Ripley; Jude Law · Dickie Greenleaf; Gwyneth Paltrow · Meredith Logue; Cate Blanchett · Marge Sherwood; Philip Seymour Hoffman · Freddie Miles
- Genres
- psychological thriller; crime drama
- Themes
- identity theft; obsession; social class; deception
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- con artist; psychopath; murder
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955)
- Franchise connections
- Ripley
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews for its suspense and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 142; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · nomination; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · nomination
- Production trivia
- Matt Damon lost 30 pounds for the role.; The film was shot primarily on location in Italy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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