*Ripley*. Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in Ripley, Episode 104
Cr. Philippe Antonello/Netflix Â© 2023

‘Ripley’ | Netflix Original Series Review

Written By: Lauren Levesque

‘Ripley’ is a cinematic masterpiece, an eight-episode adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. The adaptation chooses to film in harsh, sharp black-and-white, assisted by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit. "The show takes place in the 1960s." When the premise begins, a wealthy man hires the help of a shady, slippery grifter, Tom Ripley, to bring home his son from Italy. The moment that Mr. Ripley accepts an unknown fate is sealed, which is the first step of a life suffocated with lies, deceit, and eventually cold-blooded murder. The adaptation does a wonderfully disturbing job at framing Ripley's psychosis from what begins as innocent grifting behavior, which quickly turns into an obsessive need for full-blown identity theft. The internal lines Tom Ripley primarily sets up begin to burn away as his devious plan progresses. Tom Ripley's obsession with being close friends with Dickie Greenleaf turned into an obsession with being him, erasing all previous intentions of just being friends. The director of ‘Ripley,’ Steven Zaillian, is unforgivable and sometimes cruel to the characters he develops throughout the adaptation. The way he can manipulate Highsmith’s haunting prose illuminates through his characters and their permanent choices.

*Ripley*. (L to R) Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf in Episode 103 of *RIPLEY.*
Cr. Lorenzo Sisti/NETFLIX © 2021

Working with Highsmith's novel, Zaillian's raw character development for Ripley is diverse and brutally human. Zaillian also makes ‘Ripley’ less sympathetic to audiences. At the same time, in the novel, the prose and citation drip with parallel sides of Ripley's emotions and the desperate desire to escape his life. The adaptation takes a more controlled and sinister approach. Understanding how a concoction can go from innocent to pure insanity allows 'Ripley' to capitalize on the fact that darkness lurks within human nature, making it a lovely and moving art.