{"id":48962,"date":"2024-04-04T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T06:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2016755"},"modified":"2024-04-04T10:07:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T08:07:04","slug":"ripley-review-saltburn-fans-meet-the-original-homoerotic-con-artist-in-handsome-netflix-series","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ripley-review-saltburn-fans-meet-the-original-homoerotic-con-artist-in-handsome-netflix-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Ripley review: Saltburn fans, meet the original homoerotic con artist in handsome Netflix series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Netflix’s gorgeous adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s anti-hero is a delightful slow burn. <\/p>

By Lewis Knight\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 04 April 2024 at 06:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n
<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

\u201cPossessions reminded him that he existed, and made him enjoy his existence,\u201d wrote thriller queen Patricia Highsmith in The Talented Mr Ripley.<\/p>\n

This feels particularly key in the new eight-episode adaptation of the novel, titled simply Ripley<\/a>, written and directed by The Night Of maestro Steven Zaillian.<\/p>\n

Those familiar with the story will not be shocked by the series\u2019 premise. The chameleon-like Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is employed on a mission to persuade the wayward American scion of a shipping dynasty, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to return from his life on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.<\/p>\n

Once there, Ripley and Greenleaf strike up a friendship, to the concern of Dickie\u2019s girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), but soon their friendship takes a dark turn and Ripley sets out to preserve his new luxurious lifestyle by any means necessary.<\/p>\n

Unlike Anthony Minghella\u2019s breezy-paced sun-drenched 1999 feature adaptation, Zaillian utilises the longer form of eight episodes to produce an unnerving, slow-burn thriller that stretches out every last morsel of suspense.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in Ripley.<\/span><\/figcaption> Lorenzo Sisti\/NETFLIX.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

One might worry that the series loses its source material\u2019s glamour with the black-and-white cinematography but this does not feel like a pretentious surface-level choice, instead an atmospheric triumph with gorgeously composed shots adding a true cinematic sheen.<\/p>\n

Zaillian\u2019s embrace of a rather cold and sterile atmosphere in his direction is matched by Andrew Scott\u2019s quietly venomous turn as Ripley. Unexpectedly, Scott\u2019s Ripley seems less charming and more openly scary in his emptiness, with one questioning how Dickie would ever be taken in by his attempts at friendly demeanour.<\/p>\n

The one downside of the series is the absence of strong chemistry between Scott and Flynn\u2019s characters, which while maintaining an uncomfortable aura that only grows until it explodes into shocking scenes, makes the continued presence of Ripley in Dickie\u2019s home somewhat unrealistic. Why would anyone keep this Ripley around?<\/p>\n

The series comes alive in its masterpiece third episode which is a true study of on-screen tension as Tom and Dickie head out on a trip that takes an incredibly tense turn.<\/p>\n