Matt Damon may be gearing up for what could be the role of a lifetime in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, but his early career was defined by stranger, more character-driven parts. After co-writing Good Will Hunting with Ben Affleck, Damon became Hollywood's hottest commodity and landed the lead in the 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's gripping thriller, The Talented Mr. Ripley. The film boasted an all-star ensemble including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett, but the real power came from Damon's performance. Yet, 25 years later, Netflix's miniseries Ripley has proven that this story was always meant to be told in long form.
Damon's Sympathetic Monster
In the 1999 film, Damon portrays Tom Ripley as an almost accidental confidence man who stumbles into Dickie Greenleaf's life through a series of happenstances. This version of Ripley is highly sympathetic—a stark contrast to the cold-blooded psychopath of Highsmith's novel. At the time, antiheroes weren't yet the trend they'd become with The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. Audiences in the late '90s needed a protagonist they could root for, even if he was a killer. Damon imbued Ripley with empathy, portraying him as someone who yearned for more than he was given. As he says in the film, he doesn't see himself as a bad person—not because he's emotionless, but because his desires are understandable. He wants what Dickie has, and when rejected, he commits the ultimate sin.
Netflix's Darker, More Faithful Take
Fast forward to 2024, and Netflix released Ripley, a stark black-and-white miniseries starring Andrew Scott as the titular con artist. This wasn't a remake of the film but rather the version the movie could never make. Scott's portrayal is much closer to Highsmith's psychopathic character—calculated, cold, and utterly unsympathetic. The miniseries format allowed the show to lay the groundwork for who Ripley truly is, without needing to soften his edges for audience sympathy. It's a character study of a psychopath, just as the book intended.
Why a Miniseries Works Better
The 1999 film was already so chock-full of plot that it would have been nearly impossible to convince audiences to empathize with such a cold character. A miniseries, on the other hand, has the time to explore the nuances of Ripley's psychology. Netflix's Ripley dives deep into the homoerotic subtext and the tragic dimensions of the character, but it never shies away from the darkness. The result is a more faithful adaptation that doesn't need to make Ripley likable—just fascinating. For fans of crime thrillers, this is a must-watch, much like Netflix's 'Nemesis' Blends 'Heat' and 'The Wire' Into a Must-Binge Crime Thriller.
The Verdict
While Damon's The Talented Mr. Ripley remains a beloved classic, Netflix's Ripley proves that some stories are simply too complex for a two-hour runtime. The miniseries format allows for a deeper, darker exploration of Highsmith's world—one that doesn't need to make its monster sympathetic. It's a chilling reminder that sometimes, the best way to tell a story is to take your time. For those who crave more gripping thrillers, check out Prime Video's 'Alex Rider' Is the Spy Thriller Binge You've Been Missing or Titus Welliver Returns to Crime Thrillers in 'The Westies' on MGM+ This July.
