This sequel to THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY was always intended to be a theatrical release, but Fine Line bailed on it and the film went direct-to-video. The film works as an interesting morality thriller where the emotionless and amoral Tom Ripley (John Malkovich, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) wraps dying innocent Jonathan Trevanny (Dougray Scott, ENIGMA) in a web of assassinations for insulting him at a party.
The delight of this film is the devilishly witty interplay between Ripley, Trevanny and Reeves (Ray Winstone, SEXY BEAST), the criminal Ripley wishes would have stayed in his past. Trevanny’s moral dilemma is at the core of the film. He signs on to do an awful thing for a good reason, but finds that no bad thing goes unpunished.
The thriller elements of the story are taunt and engaging. The mix of violence and humor reminded me of Hitchcock a lot. But the real reason to see this film is for the wonderful performance of John Malkovich. His droll approach is magnificent. The film was entertaining and interesting.
After watching it I want to give THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY a second viewing (I wasn’t all that impressed with it in the theaters). That to me is a good sequel. But I guess Fine Line (owned by Time Warner) doesn’t really care about that because Paramount and Miramax own the rights to the first film. But viewers should not be scared away by this film’s direct-to-video status. It’s a solid film, entertaining film that doesn’t disappoint.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
