‘Ripley’ Season 1 Review – A Masterclass In Thought-Provoking Thrillers With Substance

Ripley is the year’s first great show on streaming or network television and a full-blown noir masterpiece. The Netflix series is practically Hitchcockian—much of that should be credited to the source material—and brings the titular character’s colossal confidence game to life. Written and directed by the great Steven Zaillian (Acadamy Award-winning writer of Schindler’s List), Ripley is a masterclass in making a thought-provoking thriller with substance.

Set in 1960s New York City, the story follows Tom Ripley, a grifter who runs a series of low-brow cons around the city. Most of them take advantage of his everyman appearance and amiable demeanor. He forges bank checks by pilfering mail from empty apartments during the day. After Tom abandons one of his aliases following a close call, he is approached by a private detective (Bokeem Woodbine) with an offer from a wealthy benefactor.

He is Herbert Greenleaf, a wealthy man who wants his son, Dickie (The Dig’s Johnny Flynn), to come home. Dickie is an adult in his late 20s with access to a trust set up by his father. Herbert cannot legally stop the payments. He has been studying painting and dating a young woman and writer named Marge (portrayed brilliantly by Dakota Fanning). He makes Tom an offer he cannot refuse—a trip to Italy to convince their son to come home.

Upon arrival, Dickie takes an immediate liking to Tom, but Marge doesn’t. She sees Ripley for who he truly is: Someone who has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Tom knows every con is a symphony of deception, turning the tables on the younger Greenleaf to live the life he always wanted. The only question is if Dickie will be able to realize it before it’s too late.

Ripley is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which Anthony Minghella transformed into a 1999 Academy Award-winning film. This adaptation brings the character to life for the sixth time. From the most famous portrayal (Matt Damon) to a handful of legends (Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, and Alain Delon), and even the head-scratching (Barry Pepper), the new Netflix series may have the best turn yet.

In Ripley, Andrew Scott from All of Us Strangers delivers a virtuoso performance. He becomes so engrossed in the role that you forget you’re watching a character. Like the novel, Scott’s portrayal of Ripley is complex. He embodies the byproduct of isolation and identity alienation. This evokes themes that lead to slowly creeping issues of identity, self-esteem, and morality. Of course, it is all fueled by feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.

Scott’s portrayal gives the series additional depth. From that point on, Ripley is worth watching because it can keep the viewer’s attention within its grip and eat off the palm of Steve Zaillian’s hands. The story is gripping and suspenseful. All are leading to genuine, shocking moments that keep the viewer on the edge of their seats.

The setting, time, and place add to the intrigue because Ripley can travel freely, and the use of security cameras was considerably less widespread and advanced than today. That means anything the main villain does is plausible. This piles on additional anxiety and nervousness of watching Ripley pull the wool over his opponent’s eyes.

Ripley is one of the year’s best series and is riveting from start to finish. Zaillian’s adaptation has much to say about oppression and social classes, paranoia, obsession, and a keen sense of dark humor that brings on spine-tingling tension. The result is a captivating thriller that unfolds like a novel because of its disciplined use of patience.

Ripley is a thriller that deserves to be savored.

The entire first season of Ripley will stream on Netflix on April 4th, 2024.