Ripley is a 2024 psychological thriller series directed by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley written by Patricia Highsmith.
Shot in black and white, save for one dramatic detail, it is a poetic wonder that focuses on details and becomes art itself.
The main character, Thomas Ripley, masterfully portrayed by Andrew Scott, is a con artist from New York. An orphan living in a decrepit room. The story begins when Herbert Greenleaf, a wealthy man, pays Ripley to bring his son Richard back from Europe, convinced that the two are friends. Ripley accepts the business proposal and travels to the beautiful Atrani, Italy, where he poses as a true friend to the naïve Richard and his less naïve fiancée Marge, all the while lying to Richard's father about his son's return to the US.
After some time of his living with and off of Richard, he realises that he is no longer welcome and, not wanting his new life of art and pleasure to end, he murders Richard, assumes his identity, and uses his skills to cover it all up.
What follows is an intriguing and intelligent cat-and-mouse game, adorned with the splendour of Italy and all it has to offer.
Out of all the artwork Ripley sees throughout his stay in Italy, it is Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath (Davide con testa di Golia) that paints the storyline remarkably.
Caravaggio, a 16th- and 17th-century Italian painter, led a life of intrigue and antagonism, which ultimately led to him committing murder. Like Ripley, he fled from place to place in order not to get caught, and like Richard's, his death was and is a mystery. Throughout the show, there are numerous other connections between Ripley and Caravaggio. The most obvious one being the scenes after the murders: both of them sit down with a drink and the murder weapon by their side. The same actions, the same passions – centuries apart.
To escape the death sentence, Caravaggio painted David with the Head of Goliath for pardon. According to some (and according to the TV series), Caravaggio used his younger and older selves as the objects to the subjects of the painting. The former is David, while the latter is Goliath.
In Ripley, the main character can embody both figures; the new Thomas Ripley posing as Richard Greenleaf, enjoying his privileged lifestyle in Italy, holds the severed head of the old Ripley, a petty con artist living in poverty in New York. There is no going back to the old self because it is dead. And it had to die in order for him to make room for the new self. The stolen identity allows the florescence of Ripley's true identity, which had to be muted due to the circumstances that befell him.
At the same time and similarly, the figure of David can represent Thomas and the figure of Goliath – Richard, who has to die, so that Thomas can continue to live, i.e. the Richard Greenleaf mask that he puts on feels like true skin.
Whichever the case, for Ripley, there is no life without (somebody else's) death – and he wants to live.
Ripley's is a solitary adventure, almost lonely, and the audience can't help but feel it as well. Together with him, we get to stop and admire the beauty, all the while planning his next move – even though he appears rash and even nonchalant.
When conflated, the long and oftentimes aesthetically beautiful shots and the uneasy tension of the plot create a transformative experience.
Sources:
Caravaggio - biography
Uh, it sounds super interesting...great review! It goes straight to my watch list 😎