Ripley's Game (2002)

Director:

Liliana Cavani

Writers:

Charles McKeown (written by) and
Liliana Cavani (written by) ...

Release Date:

7 February 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Older. Wiser. More talented.

Plot:

Tom Ripley persuades a man to commit a murder for a large sum of money. The situation goes out of control, and that man must escape trouble.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Money | Train Guard | Breakfast | Anti Hero

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Ray Winstone	...	Reeves
John Malkovich	...	Tom Ripley
Uwe Mansshardt	...	Terry
Hanns Zischler	...	Art Dealer
Paolo Paoloni	...	Franco
Maurizio Lucà	...	Franco's Assistant
Dougray Scott	...	Jonathan Trevanny
Evelina Meghnagi	...	Maria
Chiara Caselli	...	Luisa Harari
Lena Headey	...	Sarah Trevanny
Sam Blitz	...	Matthew Trevanny
Emidio La Vella	...	Shoe Shop Owner (as Emidio Lavella)
Lutz Winde	...	Ernst
Nikolaus Deutsch	...	Dr. Wentzel
Wilfried Zander	...	Belinsky

Also Known As:

Il gioco di Ripley (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language, some sexuality.

Runtime:

110 min | Argentina:112 min

Country:

Italy | UK | USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:12 (TV version) (slightly cut) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:16 | Argentina:13 | Ireland:18 | Canada:18A

Filming Locations:

Aquarium, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Cattleya

Trivia:

The first sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) which had Matt Damon as Ripley. However, while that film took place in the 1950's, this film seems to take place in contemporary times (i.e. the 21st century), as one sees a microwave of modern design in the Trevanny home. Ripley should thus stand at the age of about seventy or eighty, but John Malkovich, who takes over the role from Matt Damon, stands at only 17 years older than Matt Damon.

Goofs:

Plot holes: As Tom Ripley leaves the Trevannys' house after the home invasion, he tells Sarah to call the police and report it as a burglary gone wrong. However, he takes the gun he used to kill the two 'burglars', and which will make it difficult for Sarah to explain how the two men were killed with a gun that is no longer there.

Quotes:

Tom Ripley: It never used to be so crowded in first class.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Mario's Café

Never on the big screen, let it live long on DVD

`Coming soon to a theatre near you'. It's a phrase we hear or read in upwards of 7 times before each new movie we watch in the theatre. The trailers that precede this announcement come with both anticipation and expectation.

I remember sitting in a theatre, what seems like years ago now, and viewing the trailer for Ripley's Game starring John Malkovich. I wondered if it was a sequel to the Matt Damon vehicle, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and I raced home to find that was exactly the case. Looking back, I cannot remember a date being flashed across the screen as to when Ripley's Game would be accessible, but usually it only takes a few months before our thirsts are quenched.

Then came 2004, and my local DVD provider began to advertise Ripley's Game as an upcoming release on disc. At first, I couldn't remember why the name was so familiar, but after a quick internet check, I found that two years later, Ripley's Game was being released without ever hitting a theatrical venue in North America. Too bad.

Ripley's Game gives us an older Tom Ripley. Gone are the chiseled good looks and innocent smile of Matt Damon and in are the glacial stares of the stoic Malkovich. When we catch up to Tom he is still the con man brokering an art forgery transaction that leaves one dead and Ripley unamused. We quickly forward ahead three years to Italy where we find Ripley in his favorable environment. Tom is living in a luxurious villa and has a woman he completely adores.

Ripley's old life soon catches up with him and a former associate looks to Tom for help with some Russian mafia types. Ripley suggests the use of an ‘innocent' for the job and gives him the name of a fellow countryman Tom has a slight distaste. Soon the novice is coerced into contract killings becomes part of Ripley's dastardly web of deception and murder, and the two join forces to first complete a contract and then later to save each other's lives.

It's great to have a film that picks up a fascinating character years after. Wouldn't you like to see what Forrest Gump is up to in 2004? Or what about Elliot from E.T. or Michael Douglas from Fatal Attraction? Without parading sequels that try and catch a character one second from the time the final frame of the original finished, wouldn't it be fresh to check in on some of our faves? Well Ripley's Game does just that.

As Ripley, Malkovich gives us an incredibly restrained performance. He kept me thinking that this is probably what Hannibal Lecter would be like if he had a family or other interests. Whether he is talking to someone about the restoration of a vintage piano or killing someone in a train's restroom, his pulse never seems to race nor does he seem terribly concerned about the chaos left in his wake.

Even when he surprises us by showing up to help the same man he pulled into his world, we don't see it as guilt or an attempt to show dominance in the world of criminal activity. Instead, Malkovich projects a man who is just going about his business no matter what the reprehensible activity may encompass.

Ripley's game is an exceptional film that unfortunately got ignored by the Hollywood studio system. Maybe they were too busy with the Lord of the Rings trilogies. But, if I were to add up all the movie tickets for movies like Eurotrip, 50 First Dates and Starsky & Hutch, it even seems more of a waste that I wasn't given the opportunity to get comfortable in the local multi-plex for Ripley.

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