Saw this movie again this weekend. Last viewing was in 1999. The movie has held up remarkably well and was even better than I remembered.
shareI think it's a modern day classic (if you lump it together with today's films). Not a monumental classic, but one that will hold up even 50 years later when it plays on Turner Classic Holograms some day.
shareMost movies from the 90's have held up extremely well, at least technically. Seven, The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, Fight Club to name a few. Compare that with just about every 80's movie ever made and you can't help but laugh at how disgustingly 80's everything is from the clothing, the hair styles, the musical choices, the special effects, and just the film stock in general it all screams 80's and has not stood the test of time at all.
Good points. While The Talented Mr Ripley is but a year away from 2000, the 90s films you mentioned, and more, do seem like a world away from most movies made in the 80s. There are a few that stand up to the test of time, but a lot more from the 90s do.
shareCompare that with just about every 80's movie ever made and you can't help but laugh at how disgustingly 80's everything is from the clothing, the hair styles, the musical choices, the special effects, and just the film stock in general it all screams 80's and has not stood the test of time at all.
TTMR takes place in the 1950s not the 1990s and there are dozens of great movies from the 80s that also take place in previous eras that are just as if not better than TTMR
shareIt's a high class masterpiece. I remember when it first came out, i just knew there was something about it, and watched it over and over again, each time noticing a different layer. The acting and character development is off the charts. That thousand dollars sure went a long way!!! Check out "Ripley's Game" for a great performance from John Malkovich playing Ripley as well.
shareDid you know there was a Talented Mr. Ripley movie from 1960 starring Alain Delon as Tom Ripley? I just found about it few months ago, haven’t seen it though.
The film is called Purple Noon, but the plot is the same.
Also haven’t seen the one with Malkovich yet.
Funny thing when the film Talented Mr. Ripley was just released I didn’t want to see it as I really disliked Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. I would see just some bits here and there when it was on tv.
Until I finally watched it few years ago, and I must agree it really is a good movie which still holds up, I even don’t mind the main cast anymore. 😂
Now I’m even interested to read the book.
Wow, no i never heard of that, thank you!!! Scanning through the movie, it looks like the 90s version borrowed a ton of stuff from it, even the hairstyles, and actors look very much the same!!! Thank you again, i will definitely be trying to find the subtitles version, and check this out!!! Wowzers!!!
shareI just watched Purple Noon, and was floored by how good it was!!! I really enjoyed the different take on things as well, especially the ending, i never saw it coming!!!
I remember reading parts of the book, but not all of it; i read the boat scene where he kills Philippe, and Purple Noon was very close to how that went down. I love 60s movies, and the graininess contributed to the period piece feeling more as well. It just felt old. I also appreciated the Purple Noon script a bit more; it seemed more realistic in many ways. For example, how Tom captured Marge for himself (rather than turning gay), and the ending was better than the loose ends in the 90s film. Thank you so much again, I really want to read the entire book now, and then watch it again, and again. Seeing how much the 90s film borrowed from it really puts things in perspective; Purple Noon is right up there!!!
Glad you liked it. :)
Now you make me want to see it even more, will put it higher on my to watch list.
Nesi777,
I looked around, and found yet another Ripley movie!!! It's called "Ripley Under Ground" and is from 2005. It was also very good, and I highly recommend it. It kept me in suspense until the last second, beautifully done!!! Ripley was on fire in this movie, and definitely 100% heterosexual, hahaha. After over 10 years of thinking it'd seen all the Ripley movies, this week i got to see two more!! What a treat!!! :-D The movie is almost a dark comedy, and i love that about it, even though it still has many serious moments as well. Definitely watch this one before "Ripley's Game" as it ties in perfectly with how that movie begins. Wow, what a ride!!! :-D
That is great. Wasn’t aware of it. Will have to check it out. Thanks! :)
sharePurple Noon is well worth a watch but it does hold by from the gay undertone of the 1999 version.
I love Anthony Minghella version, Jude Law has never been better, he plays a right slimy user in this. Always great to see early Cate Blanchett, in a small role but she's excellent in it. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman almost steals the film as Dickie's posh scummy friend Freddie. Even Gwyneth Paltrow is solid in this. But for me Matt Damon is fantastic in this, sure he's no beauty like a young Alain Delon but he's still males you feel for Ripley even though he's a cold blooded murder and user.
Some fantastic Cinematography and some fantastic locations, and just a more downbeat feel to it. It's better then it's 7.4 on Imdb for me. Also I think this a better film then The English Patient.
Wasn’t aware of the imdb rating, it really suprises me. I would expect it to be higher.
I haven’t seen The English Patient yet. 😂
I like both versions, but i feel the 90s film is more of a standalone Ripley. I don't believe that Damon's character could evolve into the Ripley we see in the later film Ripley's Game, but Delon's character definitely fits the mold. In Ripley's game, he is cold-hearted, very heterosexual, and even has a wife. In the first novel, even if Ripley was "pretending" to be homosexual to give him an advantage over Dickie, he obviously was not one by the end of the series. I understand that Patricia Highsmith was a Lesbian, but that really does not imply that just because Tom may have leveraged some homo erotic tactics in the novel that he was gay whatsoever. Perhaps he wanted to confuse/deflect Dickie into thinking he would never want to steal away Marge? He was a smart con man who knew just how to press people's buttons to get the job done. All of Hollywood is pretty much ran by a gay mafia these days, and this only became more prominent since the 90s, so it doesn't surprise me they would try to put their perverted twist into things. IMO, it takes away from the Ripley saga, and probably the real reason it's rating is lower than Purple Noon (7.8).
Damon's character also left a serious loose end. Even if he gets rid of Peter's body, and gets off the boat without being seen again, Meredith, and her family are going to tell everyone they saw Dickie. That "witness protection" deflection is only going to go so far. People gossip, and would never respect that excuse, especially with a case as high profile as Dickie's. It will eventually become too much for bigmouth Meredith (or her relatives) to tell Marge she saw Dickie alive.
Again, i like both films, but Purple Noon is more Ripley to me.
Spot on analysis. I just saw this last night in 2021 for the first time. It kinda slipped through the cracks over the years. I'm not a huge Damon fan, but he was pretty fitting in this role. Jude Law was great too. Enjoyed it, despite a few flaws. For me Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a bit out of place when he showed up. Though he was good. When he first appeared, I thought he was too gay and not handsome enough to be a womanizer (esp compared to Jude Law), but if he too, is closet gay then it fits more with the lines about him having several women on the ski trip...but having all 3 males in question is a bit too much IMO. Gay mafia influence indeed. That aside, he was good at sniffing out Tom's game. I kept expecting Tom to steal Marge, but he dropped her like a bad habit.
I'm looking forward to seeing Purple Noon and the other Ripley movies if I can find them.
Quality cinematography... Current filmmakers could do far worse than draw inspiration from the 1999 version... One of the best shot movies imo
shareQuality film... immersive...
shareYup, loving it on rewatch.
shareyeah, it's a really good film.
But LOL every re-watch I hate Tom even more.
I think most of the characters are pretty slimy, but obviously Tom is the worst. Matt is so young in this, but shows exactly why he's an acting powerhouse when he puts his mind to it. I'd like to see him do something like this again, because he nailed it.
shareOne of the worst movies ever I’ve often considered trying to watch it again to see if it was as bad as I remember.
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