Anthony Minghella
Il Talento Di Mr. Ripley

An excellent "Italo-American" thriller, impeccable in many respects, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith.

The screenplay starts off a bit slowly, but with an excellent setting (that of 1950s Italy), perhaps a bit caricatured but well recreated. The first part of the film doesn’t offer any special "mystery" cues, but effectively outlines the context and the characters.

The turning point occurs exactly halfway through the film when, with careful attention from the director to the many details that underpin the development of the plot, the protagonist makes a Machiavellian and "diabolical" shift with that so mock-innocent demeanor of his.

There are no narrative holes and, in my opinion, no moments of implausibility. Or at least, Tom Ripley acts like a skilled poker player, and his moves are the result of much skill and a pinch of luck: a striking example is the "double" meetup at the bar in Rome, where he plays "all in" managing to win the hand.

In my opinion, a small plot twist happens just before the end when the audience is convinced that the savvy American detective (more experienced than the still skilled colleague Sergio Rubini) is about to nail our protagonist and his insolent face and instead... no.

It's a very good and gripping film from my point of view; perhaps I would have balanced the difference in rhythm between the first and second parts more. Matt Damon fits in portraying the part of the innocent-looking boy who hides something else entirely, but perhaps at the time, he was still a bit green, I would have chosen a slightly more charismatic actor.

Certain elements recall the later "Catch Me If You Can" (the protagonist's ability to fake and falsify) and from a certain point of view, for that ever-present aleatory element and also for the dual nature of the protagonist, Woody Allen's beautiful Match Point.

The presence of some Italian actors is amusing, well, as expected Fiorello lends himself to karaoke.