The Talented Mr. Ripley – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY – Review by Walker Conger (Mentorship Program Critic)

March 2, 2026March 8, 2026 Guest Post Anthony Minghella, AWFJ/UNCSA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, cate blanchett, gwyneth paltrow, Jack Davenport, jude law, matt damon, Patricia Highsmith, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Talented Mr. Ripley, walker conger

When Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) first plays the piano while wearing a borrowed Princeton jacket, there’s no way to expect what a thrilling ride director Anthony Minghella will take you on for the next two hours in his 1999 adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, this underrated entry of Damon’s extensive filmography captures the beautiful Italian scenery of small, tight-knit towns and the expansiveness of Rome and Venice. Aided by the heavy use of jazz throughout the score, the film paints a picture of a carefree, “la dolce vita” post-war lifestyle that would be very enticing to a struggling New York restroom attendant like Tom Ripley.

Reviews

LOVING HIGHSMITH – Review by Marilyn Ferdinand

August 26, 2022September 1, 2022 Marilyn Ferdinand (Archived Contributor) documentary, Eva Vitija, Loving Highsmith, Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Vitija

Social-climbing killer Tom Ripley is one of the most memorable characters in all of fiction, one who has been memorialized on the silver screen several times. The genius behind his creation, Patricia Highsmith, was a well-known, successful writer at the very beginning of her career, when her debut novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), was optioned by Alfred Hitchcock for his masterful 1951 film of the same name.