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: I'm a creation. A gifted improviser. I lack your conscience and when I was young that troubled me. It no longer does. I don't worry about being caught because I don't believe anyone is watching. The world is not a poorer place because those people are dead. It's one less car on the road. It's a little less noise and menace. You were brave today. You put some money away for your family. That's all.
Jonathan Trevanny: If you lack my conscience, why did you help me on the train?
Tom Ripley: I don't know, but it doesn't surprise me. The one thing I know is we're constantly being reborn.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Ripley's Yoga

#3 In The Ripley Series... Will We Ever Get #2?

RIPLEY'S GAME (3+ outta 5 stars) Not actually a direct sequel to "The Talented Mr. Ripley"... this film is based on the third book in the Ripley series by Patricia Highsmith. (Dang... they have filmed the first and third books TWICE EACH... and they STILL haven't done the second book even once?) This time around Ripley is played, quite menacingly, by John Malkovich. Long after the events of the first book, he is living comfortably in Europe and engaging in little odd jobs of forgery, robbery and murder to maintain the upkeep on his fancy estate. After being insulted by a new neighbor and approached by a threatening ex-partner to do a murder that he really doesn't want to do... Ripley concocts an elaborate game of revenge whereby he will turn his neighbor into a conscienceless killer somewhat like himself. Unfortunately, to his consternation, Ripley finds that a conscience is something that one either has or doesn't have... it can't become lost. I'd really like to see Malkovich do more in the Ripley series... maybe after his movie career is over he'd contemplate a series of made-for-cable movies? (Since the producers wouldn't even release this movie to theatres in the first place!)