Of course, there's enough material to keep the film going - enough done well - but
Damon never captures Dickie (or Law's) essence, his way - the way he carries himself.
And that makes me have trouble believing he'd actually want to be Dickie in the first
place. It all sat like rotten food in my stomach. It was tough to sit through a film with that
stuck in my craw. Hard to believe the competent young actor who wowed me in 'The
Rainmaker' and 'Courage Under Fire' and sweetly enacted an immense likeability in
'Good Will Hunting' and 'Saving Private Ryan', could drop the ball this heavily. To
play a gay character, full of the devil - his coming out, if you will - and to bungle it - it’s
a travesty.

Minghella's direction culls another fatal instruction - the one where Gwyneth
Paltrow's character becomes the paranoia and devilish suspicion of  Jude Law's
character - deciding that Ripley did it from one scene to the next - on a dime, with
absolutely no time of reflection, irrationally changing her mind and with the mood swings
- good Lord. No transition. How can this be? The great director of one of 1996’s best
films, 'The English Patient' and the classic from 1991, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' - has also
dropped the ball. The big budget, highly touted film adaptation of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'
- and perk up your ears, folks - is a meandering disappointment.

 I loved the film up until Jude Law died. What a magnificent actor. From smaller
roles in 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' and 'Gattaca' to his beautiful and
destructive performances last year in 'Wilde' and 'eXistenZ', he is one of the better
actors working today. He completely keeps his dignity, miraculously, in 'The Talented
Mr. Ripley'. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, too. The sweaty undesirable from the brilliant
'Happiness' and 'Boogie Nights' plays a character with self-confidence!  It’s amazing!
The best performance in the movie comes from an actor who is nearly left out of the
billing in advertisements and critical notices. It was a welcome change to see him
snobbing and relishing his charms rather than jealously looking on as others filled their
lives with glee. Minghella is so good at exploiting his backgrounds, his settings, to make
the characters stand out - and he does it well here with Law and Hoffman.

 I liked the decision of Tom Ripley when he was packing the suitcases - holding an
article of Dickie's clothing up - deciding not to take it, lest he incriminate himself - and
putting it back. I love the shot of him reflected on a piano - where he seems to split into
two - very appropriate. I like the character of Tom Ripley - he reminded me of Bill Paxton
in 'A Simple Plan' or the title character in  'Jackie Brown' - so many things to keep in mind,
so much to keep track of - so many balls to keep up in the air - he does it well. Why would
an actor not see the goldmine of opportunity in trading faces and the twisted sexual connotation
of becoming your own secret crush. The jaded conceit of killing the man you love in order to become him and to love him internally. If only that could have come across - even in minute
doses - something could have been salvaged. Pity.

 It's not worth the acclaim I'm seeing. There are other Ripley books. They were
written in the 1950's by Patricia Highsmith - writer of 'Strangers on a Train', produced
with wicked and awesome results by Alfred Hitchcock. Why didn't Hitch ever attempt
this? He'd have done it perfect.

(Is this the year of Hitchcock emulation or what - this one seemed Hitchcockian, 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Felicia's Journey' could've been directed by him, particularly the former - which was so much like the master, I wonder if he'd ever conceived of the story himself, on his own?).