Cinema noir was very popular during the first half of the 20th century all over the world, especially where it was born; in the United States. Where, its mysterious aesthetics, full of plot twists, the touch that only the monochromatic inside the once celluloid film could offer, and the halo of suspense together with a deep study of the evil of its stories and drama, makes this film genre unique...
Also, at a time when exploring these kinds of issues, far from generating censorship and promoting cancellation, aroused fascination in the audience and in the people who watched and consumed it? Why is this mini ‘history of cinema class’? Well, for nothing in particular, but as a backdrop for what we can witness in one of the best series that Netflix has launched in 2024: ‘Ripley’. Which follows what its author recounted in her novel of the same name published in 1955...
Patricia Highsmith is the name of the mastermind who, with this recent adaptation, already adds up to at least three well-known and classic creations that have received excellent reviews, criticisms and ratings from experts in the field. But I come to describe to you what I felt and experienced when I saw it. In 1999, the film ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ was released, which featured a young but certainly established Matt Damon in the lead role, but also stars such as Jude Law as part of the cast.
Instantly, watching this ‘99 film, I knew that I was witnessing an extremely murky, dark, and profoundly profound but astonishingly subtle study of human evil. There were no notably violent heroes or villains: the ethical idealisms of any era were not the ones in the spotlight; on the contrary, both the original novel and all its respective adaptations reveal a con man with a talent for white-collar crime, with a deeply marked existential void.... Although he longs for something much better than what he is able to obtain honestly, he is no less able to escape from his human baseness....
He wants money, power, recognition and status. These are the characteristics of his time. But which still remain in all of us today. Imagine a Donald Trump, with all his vanity and self-confidence, but without the resources that the former American President has had at his disposal... Netflix in association with Showcase, bring us a unique punchline. With incredibly beautiful cinematography, filmed in 2023 but with the characteristics of the true and unique film Noir... The black and white, the lights and the stylized and careful shots of the simplest cinema but with the technicality of a master of cinema like the writer and director of ‘Ripley’, Steven Zaillian.
And who is Stevn Zaillian? He is a brilliant filmmaker, responsible for titles such as the adapted screenplay of Schindler's List or Alien, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, even American Gangster... We are therefore faced with a master of cinema, and of guiding a story through the elegance that only a good script can offer us. Personally, I already knew all the secrets of the original story. I am an avid reader of crime films and detective novels, I knew Ms. Highsmith's novel, and also Matt Damon's version but this time, the cinematography of this series captivated me from chapter one.
The exploration of the characters is absolutely profound, but especially that of Tom Ripley, the central figure of the story. There are no complexes and no cover-ups. Envious, cold, cruel, psychopathic, heartless, unscrupulous and extremely skilful; ‘Ripley’ shows a side that we all possess and that we stubbornly believe is not there, that it will not happen to us but that frankly we all possess? The elegance of this series is as subtle as it is exquisite. It's impossible for you to be a lover of cinema and the thriller/mystery/suspense genre and not find yourself totally fascinated by it. That's what I know will happen to you, and at only 9 episodes long, Ripley is wonderful to admire and consume in one sitting? But remember, there is no justice in many of the evil cases that occur in real life, what makes you think that in fiction it would be any different? Think about it...