Ripley's Game 2002

Tom Ripley, the hypnotically amoral protagonist of Patricia Highsmith’s crime novels, is brilliantly interpreted by John Malkovich in a performance so dryly expressive that it is thrilling. Several years and several undetected murders on from the version of his character presented in The Talented Mr Ripley, he’s savouring the life of a landed aristocrat in Italy’s Veneto region. When his English picture-framer suggests that his ostentatious taste betrays questionable origins, Ripley amuses himself with a chillingly rococo revenge, trapping the honest artisan into the life of a hitman. Director Liliana Cavani of long-ago Night Porter notoriety, delivers suspense and psych-out with cool precision. “Ripley’s Game is a scary comedy of manners, recounting the dangerous liaison between a poor sap and a man who understands the world too well. Malkovich was born to play Ripley… This is more than perfect casting: he connects with Ripley on such a profound level that every gesture feels exactly right. The performance is a reminder of what a great actor Malkovich can be.” — Kent Jones, Film Comment