25 years after Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon starred in the psychological thriller "The Talented Mr. Ripley," now there's a new take on the story of a failed Italian expatriate .
Like the previous films, Netflix's new limited series Ripley is based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley , as well as the entire series of novels (five in total!), streaming media pointed out. But don't expect the new adaptation to echo the vibe of the Oscar-nominated film. The show's creator, Steve Zaillian, told IndieWire that he wanted to convey the "pretty sinister and pretty dark" tone of Highsmith's novel. "I couldn't imagine this happening in a beautiful Italian setting with bright blue skies and colorful clothes and all that," he explains.
Want to know what to expect? Here's the bookend and plot summary for The Talented Mr. Ripley for your reference while watching the 1960s thriller.
mysterious visitor
Herbert Greenleaf wanted his son Dickie to return to the United States after living in Italy. He invited Tom Ripley to travel there and encouraged him to return home. He considered Tom and Dickie to be old friends, but they barely knew each other. But Ripley is a liar, so he can play along.
He used the Greenleaf family's money to travel to Italy and met Dicky and Maggie, who were living together. Ripley quickly approaches the couple. Too close. Dickie is especially disturbed to find Ripley wearing his clothes and imitating his master in the mirror.
Later, Ripley traveled to San Remo with Dickie. It is here that Ripley realizes that he is no longer in Dickie and Maggie's lives. His rage and obsession culminated in a fatal boat trip in which Ripley beat Dickie to death with an oar.
Ripley's cover-up
Since Ripley is a con man, he quickly hatches a plan. He tells the story of Dickie's choice to travel to Rome alone rather than return to Maggie, the small town where they lived together. He even wrote letters to Dickie's parents as his son, updating them on his whereabouts (and continuing to receive money from them).
Ripley's killings didn't end there, however. He also murdered Dickie's suspicious friend Freddie, which aroused police suspicion. But the police, Dickie's parents and Maggie ultimately concluded that Dickie planned to kill himself.
In a particularly bold move, Ripley even wrote to the Greenleaf family saying he had found their son's will - Dickie had left everything to Ripley. They bought it. At the end of the novel, Ripley decides to continue his journey, now funded by his dead friend's estate.
