Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) has settled into an Italian villa and a life of
aesthetic contemplation. A former partner (Ray Winstone) drags an
innocent frame-maker (Dougray Scott), dying of leukemia, into the
role of unexpected hit man. Ripley, for his own enigmatic reasons,
helps.
CRITIQUE
Unlike Anthony
Mingella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (which I didn't like
that much), Ripley's Game is a bit tighter and more
intriguing in its presentation of the story. The 1999 film starred
Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, but this time John Malkovich takes over
the aged character. The actor, who in my books gave a great
performance in The Sheltering Sky, makes the elder Ripley a
more conniving, meticulous, and threatening character. Ripley's
got all the good lines in the script and Malkovich elevates the
film as a whole. Despite a more faithful adaptation of Patricia
Highsmith's novel, Ripley's Game doesn't seem as compelling
and important as
1977's
The American
Friend,
the first film based on the book that was directed by Wim Wenders
and starred a terrific Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz.
The script for Ripley's Game, written by
Liliana Cavani and Charles McKeown, certainly takes its time to
introduce various locations, situations, and several characters
before getting to the meat of the story; Jonathan Trevanny (Scott)
accepts payment by Mr. Reeves to assassinate a powerful mob boss
in Berlin, but the act backfires to Ripley's dissatisfaction as
Reeves orders Jonathan to assassinate yet another mob boss. As the
body count rises, the film turns on its wheels of intrigue, but
they never reach too far into the distance. For one thing, certain
passages move too slow. Also, there is not a steady sense of
importance about the events, yet the moments between Jonathan and
his wife, as well as the scenes at the end of the film with him
and Ripley barricading themselves in the villa, are worthwhile.
Dougray Scott gives a very good performance playing a man who
doesn't have much else to live for as leukemia eats away at him,
except to support his wife and child. Ray Winstone is rather good
as Reeves, though his character is a bit neglected and too
second-hand. Again, Malkovich is terrific as Ripley, and he shares
a few good scenes with Scott, one of them taking place on a train.
In terms of filmmaking, the film lacks a strong visual sense.
Direction by
Liliana Cavani is muted at times, but the music score by master
Ennio Morricone is very good. For most of the duration,
Ripley's Game offers a few regarding things, such as intrigue,
and bits and pieces that make up a decent thriller.
THE VIDEO
New Line presents Ripley's
Game
in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are not always very
bright, but generally well-saturated. Definition and detail
looks fine. Dark tones and black levels are not all that deep
and consistent, plus certain areas in the film look a bit dark.
The print looks quite good, but several instances of grain and
some specks appear. I didn't notice much if any compression
artifacts, and perhaps very slight use of edge enhancement. In
the overall sense, this presentation is not without flaws but
never distracts. A good effort by New Line, just not a great
one.
THE AUDIO
New Line presents Ripley's
Game
in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. Dialogue is clear and
easy to understand, and channel separation works for decent
measure. The music score is nicely reinforced, while sound
effects mostly sound off through the front speakers. For a film
that's audio-driven for more than half of the time, this
presentation is pretty decent and gets the job done.
5.1 DTS and a 2.0
English tracks are also featured. Optional subtitles
include English and Spanish.
THE EXTRAS
There are none
except for the film's theatrical trailer and a number of
bonus trailers. A commentary or making-of featurette
would've been real nice, but instead there is absolutely nothing
of value. Very disappointing.
You can
select to view the film with English and Spanish
subtitles. The 110-minute feature is organized into twenty-three chapters. A paper insert lists scene selections.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite slow moments and a lack of importance to the story,
Ripley's Game comes recommended for fans of the genre, plus John
Malkovich's performance is the best thing about the film. New Line's
DVD offers decent video/audio, but the lack of extras highly
disappoints. A rental should suffice.
