Alain Delon, Matt Damon and today Andrew Scott. The Irish actor discovered in the series “Sherlock” and “Fleabag”, recently seen in the cinema in “Without Ever Knowing Us” is the new face of Tom Ripley. This character imagined by the American author Patricia Highsmith gives her name to the series “Ripley”, the eight episodes of which are released online this Thursday, April 4 on Netflix.
In the early 1960s, the hero is hired by a rich patriarch to convince his son, exiled in Italy, to return home to his family in New York. But Tom Ripley is above all a crook and his trip to the shores of the Mediterranean will take a macabre turn.
The films “Plein Soleil” by René Clément in 1960 and “Le Talentueux Mr Ripley” by Anthony Minghella in 1999, adapted from this same literary story, played to the fullest extent the luminosity and colors of the Italian landscapes. The Netflix fiction, written and directed by Steven Zaillian (screenwriter of “Schindler’s List”, creator of the mini-series “The Night Of”), opts for black and white. An artistic choice in harmony with the very contemplative production which multiplies the fixed shots on furniture or views towards the outside between the scenes with the actors.
An excellent level of interpretation
These are excellent. Andrew Scott in the lead obviously, on whom the whole intrigue rests. It is impressive in its ambiguity, as seductive as it is disturbing. To accompany him, Johnny Flynn (remarkable in the nice series “Lovesick” also available on Netflix) plays Richard Greenleaf, the son who squanders the family money by dreaming of being a painter in an Italian village. Dakota Fanning (“Twilight”) completes the central trio, in the skin of Richard’s companion, suspicious as soon as she meets Tom.
Fortunately the level of interpretation is very high because it saves the whole thing from deep boredom. Given the slowness of the action, it is not surprising that previous adaptations favored the feature film format. In addition, each of the two films had added its own differences with the original novel, where the series remains more faithful to it. You have to completely abandon yourself to the old-fashioned atmosphere where time seems to pass more slowly than elsewhere for the charm to work.
Editor's note:
3/5
“Ripley,”
American series by Steven Zaillian (2024) with Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn… Eight episodes of 43 to 74 minutes each.