The Tom Ripley character is one of the great characters of all time. In all the movies, Ripley is a complete sociopath...a man with no sense of conscience and who is willing to do anything to get what he wants in life. The's such a great character because he's so incredibly believable...a textbook example of the antisocial personality. While some incarnations of Ripley were quite gorgeous (especially Alaine Delon in the first Ripley film),this one features John Malkovich who brings his own take on the menacing man. In this case, he looks so incredibly ordinary...yet is a man who kills with zero remorse!

The film begins with Ripley committing a brutal murder. However, much of the movie is not about Ripley the assassin but Ripley the master manipulator. Years pass and Ripley notices a young, cocky Jonathan (Dougray Scott) making fun of him at a party. Later, Ripley learns this same man is dying from cancer...and he uses this information to eventually turn this genuinely decent man into a killer...almost as if he's some science fair project! What's next? See the film.

I must warn you that this film has some very brutal and vivid murders....and it's NOT a kid's movie!! But it also is very well written, acted and is very engaging and a savvy look at just what sociopaths are capable of doing.

Urbane art expert Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) is in Berlin selling forgeries with British thug Reeves (Ray Winstone). He kills a man and promptly steals the money and the art. He gives the money to Reeves and ends their relationship. He lives in an Italian villa with his girlfriend Luisa. He meets locals Jonathan Trevanny (Dougray Scott) and his wife Sarah (Lena Headey). Reeves shows up with a job for an outsider to kill a rival. Ripley is not interested until he discovers that Jonathan is dying. He sees an opportunity to play a game.

Malkovich is good as the creepy snakelike cold-hearted criminal. The movie could use some better style. It's a great psychological thriller. The visual needs to be more intense. There are some good work from Winstone and Dougray Scott. However the production looks more like a TV movie although it's a well-made Masterpiece Theatre TV movie. The movie should be terrifying but it feels slightly tired. I have to put it down to the director.

In Italy, the middle age Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) is retired and lives in a huge village of his own with his gorgeous wife Luisa, who plays clavier and piano in an orchestra. When his former associate Reeves (Ray Winstone) seeks for him to use an outsider to kill a Russian and an Ukrainian mafia bosses in Berlin to start a war between the gangs, Ripley convinces him to use the innocent framer Jonathan Trevanny (Dougray Scott),who has leukemia and is terminal, as a hit-man. The argument is US$ 100,000.00, which Jonathan could leave for his wife Sarah (Lena Headley) and their son. Indeed, the amoral Ripley wants revenge against Jonathan, who insulted him in a party, corrupting an honest man as if it was a game. Tom Ripley is a fascinating character from the book "The Talented Mr Ripley" and magnificently developed in 1960 by Alain Delon in the outstanding "Plein Soleil". In 1999, Matt Damon gave a great performance in the good remake, called "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Yesterday I saw "Ripley's Game" with a great expectation: Liliana Cavani is one of my favorite directors, and John Malkovitch is one of the best actors in Hollywood. Lena Headley, from "Anazapta", is also an excellent actress. Therefore, my expectations of watching an excellent film were too high, and in the end I was very disappointed. "Ripley's Game" has great locations in Europe; John Malkovitch is perfect in the role of a cynical, amoral and sophisticated cold-blood killer, but the story is not good, there are many flaws and at least for me it did not work well. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): " O Retorno do Talentoso Ripley" (The Return of the Talented Ripley")