Ripley (2024) miniseries review

Ripley is based on Tom Ripley; Patricia Highsmith’s creation that first showed up in her book The Talented Mr. Ripley. Some of you may have read the book and some may have seen the two most popular movies based on the book (Purple Noon and The Talented Mr. Ripley). But this miniseries stands to be the definitive adaptation of the book that not only closely follows the events in the book but also creates the sense of poetic beauty, anxiety and bewilderment we experience as readers.

The series opens with Ripley (Andrew Scott) in New York, as we see his rather humble beginnings as a small-time hustler. He is older than the Ripley from the book and hence, wiser too. Upon meeting senior Greenleaf, wary of his proposition like he’s witnessing a terrible sales pitch, he eventually agrees to travel to Italy to see if he can persuade his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to come back to New York and join the family business. After all, who would pass up a free trip to Italy?

Dickie (an understated and charming Johnny Flynn) is living a comfortable life in a small Italian village by the beach, far away from his responsibilities basking in the glory of his privilege. When Ripley meets Dickie for the first time, he is accompanied by Marge (Dakota Fanning). Spending some time with them, Ripley realises he hasn’t made much of an impression on Dickie. To remedy that, in their next meeting he opens up to Dickie about the real purpose of his trip to Italy. Dickie appreciates the honesty and this sparks the beginning of their doomed friendship.

Ripley is seduced by Dickie’s subtle charm but more importantly, his independent and uncommitted lifestyle. Dickie invites Ripley to stay with him and they end up living together for weeks. Marge can see the devoid of emotions animal in Ripley while Ripley figures Marge as the clingy, conniving bore that she is. Ultimately, Dickie is left with no option but to choose between the two, unleashing Ripley’s true potential for deceit and violence.

An accomplished Hollywood writer and creator, Steven Zaillan has delivered a specific style with the show. With 8 episodes, Ripley is a slow-burn letting every moment of the story simmer in style. It’s moody and gets to the core of these characters as their interactions are full of empty silences and peering stares. The black and white photography (almost never seen in a TV series form) is exquisite. Since the miniseries is a straight adaptation, we get to see Italy in all its splendour. Certain senses, mainly the gruesome ones, linger longer than usual and expose Ripley’s cold-heartedness.

Scott plays the anger and disdain towards society within Ripley with an incredible command. The accents and languages he mastered for the role is also commendable. Fanning is like Marge from the book has come to life. As most around Marge see her as someone unable to gather that Dickie is just not that into her, Fanning is utterly convincing. The Italian cop (Maurizio Lombardi) and Freddy Miles (Eliot Sumner) are also well-cast.

While the show follows the book closely there are some surprises; like the great John Malkovich as another grifter called Reeves Minot. The show’s pacing may not be to everyone’s taste, but Zaillan has captured the essence of the title character. In a tiny moment near the end, Marge asks Tom sarcastically with mild astonishment at his sudden riches, ‘Who died?’. Scott’s delivery of the response from Ripley, ‘My aunt Dottie, who raised me after my parents died in a car accident when I was 5. She died.’ pulls more of our heart’s strings than this tale has any business to. In these tiny moments, we see Ripley for who he is, and we can’t help but root for him.