The black and white color palette is the first clever indication of presenting things in stark contrasts, even though there is a vast difference in what has been presented and what your eyes are seeing. This deceitfulness is the real crux of this popular Netflix series, so it remains faithful to the main theme of the novel from which it has been adapted.
It’s the story of a con-man called Thomas ‘Tom’ Ripley, who is down and out on his luck and surviving by pulling small-time frauds to survive in New York during the early sixties.
His side of the city is nothing like the glamourized version of it where he is struggling to make a decent living in the day while hiding in a shabby communal housing during the night. No wonder that there are so many people who are doubtful of his motives and looking forward to hand over him to the authorities for petty crimes.
Therefore, he gets a surprising relief in the form of an offer to convince Dickie Greenleaf for returning from Italy. Herbert Greenleaf’s offer is too good to be true but Tom still accepts it as it is his last resort to get away from his downtrodden situation. This puts in motion what nobody anticipated and brings out the darkness from the deepest recesses of Tom’s soul.
The nostalgic views of Italy especially coastlines and Venice are captivating enough. We can witness the visible change in Tom’s persona from his arrival in Italy to the gradual shifts in his overall behavior once he succumbs to the greed and charms of good life.
From there on, it’s evidently a sleeper slop of succumbing to arrogance and violent tendencies. It’s interesting to compare notes while displaying Tom’s fascination for Caravaggio and his famous paintings.
Based on the classic novel called The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, which was first published in 1955, this 2024 adaptation tries to remain as faithful as possible to the source material. Of course, the credit goes to the creator the show, Steven Zaillian along with the cast and crew for executing such a critically applauded sleek production. But the one person who carries this series from first shot to last clap is Andrew Scott- he has successfully managed to convince Tom Ripley’s helplessness, inner struggles, societal stresses, pressures, greed, and darkness with absolute intensity and utter conviction. Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood follows closely behind him in portraying emotional upheavals without taking help of any melodrama.
Hopefully, this will convince you to give it a try for at least one time binge-watch. You won’t be disappointed.