OLDER. WISER. MORE TALENTED.

Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) agrees to help a gangster friend (Ray Winstone) convince a dying picture framer (Dougray Scott) to kill a man. This remake of The American Friend (1977) is different, but equally watchable. Malkovich is good as an older Ripley, living in a mansion in northern Italy with his wife, enjoying the good life, and occasionally getting drawn into murder and mayhem. Scott is also fine, but his character’s motivations are not convincing enough. Still, the story is exciting and the filmmakers understand the character of Ripley very well.

2003-Italy-Britain. 110 min. Color. Directed by Liliana Cavani. Novel: Patricia Highsmith. Cast: John Malkovich (Tom Ripley), Dougray Scott (Jonathan Trevanny), Ray Winstone (Reeves), Lena Headey, Chiara Caselli. 

Trivia: The film debuted in the U.S. on cable TV. Tom Ripley next appeared in Ripley Under Ground (2005).

IMDb