Ripley's Game

In typical Friday double bill fashion, the second film on the menu this evening was something entirely different: From the novel by Patricia Highsmith - which I have been intermitently reading since Christmas - Tom Ripley, as most famously portrayed by Matt Damon in The talented Mr Ripley, is now much older, much richer and much more camp. Didn't even know this had been made, perhaps as it was made in Eupore and not Hollywood with a fairly obscure director. John Malkovich is perfect for the part and is actually closer to my idea of TR from the book than Damon was. It's a mixed bag of a film, often looking cheap, edited with European arthouse relaxedness and often miscast: Ray Winstone is Not Reeves, and once again is asked to do Cockney lout when it just isn't necessary and Lena Headey, though she is not seen enough is just wrong as Travanney's (Dougray Scott) wife - but, it is difficult when you have an idea from the source material of how things should be, and that aside it is a decent film; the kind of thing you turn on by accident at 2am and end up watching and enjoying to the end. Malkovich, as ever, is mesmerizing at times, never straying too far from familiar methods but doing it exceptionally well. Have a look. 6.5/10 Kx