By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Liliana Cavani
Starring: Dougray Scott | John Malkovich | Lena Heady | Ray Winstone
Country: italy, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 110
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0265651
Laura says: “Italian director Liliana Cavani (THE NIGHT PORTER) looks at Tom Ripley decades after his initial descent into evil. John Malkovich is perfectly cast as the amoral epicurean, now living grandly in a Veneto villa with his harpsichordist wife (Chiara Caselli, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO). When the terminally ill village framer (Dougray Scott, EVER AFTER) throws a birthday party for his son, Ripley overhears an insult. For revenge, he points his former colleague Reeves (Ray Winstone, SEXY BEAST), in need of a hit man, to the destitute and dying Trevanny. Ironically, Trevanny’s eventual plight reveals in Ripley something thought to be long lost – humanity. Liliana Cavani’s suspense thriller harkens back to the cold war thrillers also evoked by this year’s THE BOURNE IDENTITY, but she’s a lot more playful. A scene where Malkovich dispatches not one, but three, Eastern mobsters in a train lavatory is both tense and hilarious – one of the highlights of the fest. This is Malkovich’s best performance since playing himself. Winstone’s grubby gangster also gets some laughs, although his character isn’t very deeply defined. Scott displays little more than harried confusion, but Lena Headey is fine as his suspicious wife.” 3 1/2 cats
Michael says: “RIPLEY’S GAME is a lot of fun. As you might expect, RIPLEY’S GAME centers on the same character many of us became familiar with in Anthony Minghella’s THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. Ripley’s Game was Patricia Highsmith’s third Ripley novel. Tom Ripley is older, and happily living in Italy, with a gorgeous young wife, a palatial resort home, and expensive objects d’art surrounding him. He is still amoral, ruthless, and will do whatever he needs to to get what he wants.
“When his former partner in crime, Reeves, shows up in Italy after the two had parted ways in Berlin several years previous, Ripley wants nothing to do with him and his request that a man be killed. Upon reflection, Ripley decides he’d like to play a game with one of his neighbors. Jonathan Trevanny is Ripley’s neighbor, dying of leukimia, married with a young son… an innocent who after inviting Ripley to his birthday party to spice things up as the local celebrity inadvertently insults him. Ripley convinces Reevescto use Jonathan to commit the murder, convinced that given the proper incentives,
the man will do it. It’s when the game starts to spin our of control ofceven Ripley’s hands that things take off and the movie becomes a rollicking
ride.
“Malkovich is delightful as Ripley. His manner is appropriately low-key,chis relationships with his wife and cook beautifully played, his one-liners delivered with an ease that makes them even funnier. Ray Winstone makes a great Reeves. Uncouth, boorish, dangerous yet foolish, I’m enjoying him more with each role he takes. It was nice to see Lena Heady again after her outstanding lead in ABERDEEN, but she unfortunately has the thankless wife role which even devolves into the thankless wife as victim role. She does manage to do a good job with what she’s got. I found Dougray Scott (EVER AFTER) to be the weak link as Trevanny. In his more emotional scenes, especially with Heady, he pushed a little too far.
“The screenplay, which Cavani co-wrote with Charles McKeown, who has written for several of the Monty Python projects, is filled with funny moments.
There’s tension, violence, and even a little introspection. The plot does have some obvious moments, but I attribute that to the source material which was written in 1974.
“This was an unexpected surprise and a fun start to the Boston International Festival of Women’s Cinema. Director Liliani Cavani was present for an intro and q&a, complete with interpreter.” 3 1/2 cats