Ripley's Game
Ripley's Game

Ripley's Game

2002Movie110 minEnglish

Tom Ripley - cool, urbane, wealthy, and murderous - lives in a villa in the Veneto with Luisa, his harpsichord-playing girlfriend. A former business associate from Berlin's underworld pays a call asking Ripley's help in killing a rival. Ripley - ever a student of human nature - initiates a game to turn a mild and innocent local picture framer into a hit man. The artisan, Jonathan Trevanny, who's dying of cancer, has a wife, young son, and little to leave them. If Ripley draws Jonathan into the game, can Ripley maintain control? Does it stop at one killing? What if Ripley develops a conscience?

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Insights

IMDb6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes69%
Metacritic71/100
Google Users70%
Director: Liliana CavaniGenres: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Horror

Plot Summary

Tom Ripley, living comfortably in Venice with his wife, is drawn back into a life of crime when he agrees to set up a murder for a dying crime boss. He manipulates a local picture framer, Jonathan Trevanny, into carrying out the hit, promising him a large sum of money to support his family after his death. As Ripley becomes entangled in the dangerous scheme, his own dark past and manipulative nature resurface, leading to deadly consequences for all involved.

Critical Reception

Ripley's Game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised John Malkovich's chilling performance as the titular character and the film's atmospheric tension. Some found the plot to be less compelling than previous adaptations of Patricia Highsmith's novels, but it was widely regarded as a stylish and dark thriller.

What Reviewers Say

  • John Malkovich delivers a masterful and disturbing portrayal of Tom Ripley.
  • The film is stylishly directed with a palpable sense of dread and suspense.
  • While perhaps not as iconic as earlier Ripley films, it remains a compelling psychological thriller.

Google audience: Audiences appreciated the film's dark tone and John Malkovich's performance as Ripley, finding it to be a well-crafted thriller. Some viewers felt it was a bit slow-paced at times but generally enjoyed the suspense and intricate plot.

Fun Fact

John Malkovich, who played Tom Ripley, also co-wrote the screenplay for the film.

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