French actor/icon Alain Delon stars as Thomas
Ripley, a professional moocher who sees an opportunity to take over the identity
of his rich friend for good and doesn’t hesitate to make the most of his
moment, even if it means killing the fatted calf he’s been living off for so
long. Of course, it isn’t long before Ripley discovers that pretending to be
somebody for an afternoon is easy compared to trying to actually live his life.
Director René Clément does a masterful job of pacing the film, seducing the
audience into the world of Ripley to such a degree that we almost forgive him
his murderous act because we, too, want to live the rich life he assumes.
Kudos, too, to cinematographer Henri Decaë for helping Clément find a way to
drag the elements of classic film noir out of the shadows and into the bright Mediterranean
sunlight wihtou losing any of its inherent mystery.
No comments:
Post a Comment