Young Reporter - Ripley (TV Review) [Joseph Oxborrow, KGS)

Despite the worthy praise received by the 1999 film that preceded it, Ripley has such a distinct identity and tone that it easily stands its ground as a new adaptation. Its 8 episodes form a generous canvas, across which the series stretches out every richly atmospheric moment, basking in the opulence of its Italian setting and pristine black-and-white cinematography. Andrew Scott is a restrained and alluring Thomas Ripley, with only faint glimmers of emotion allowing us any closer to his unsettling inner world. He measures out every mannerism of whatever face he must put on to suit his needs. The characters in his orbit lack the same depth of characterisation, but make a strong impression nonetheless: Johnny Flynn balances charisma and listlessness as the ill-fated Richard Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning’s Marge is a tragically incidental victim to Tom’s schemes, whose growing desperation throughout the series is palpable. The pacing should be glacial on paper, yet it allows Ripley to develop into a deeply enigmatic presence, while giving us total immersion in the meticulously crafted world of the series. In one episode, we spend an agonising yet strangely thrilling half-hour watching Ripley work, against all odds, to cover his tracks in the aftermath of a crime. This is a prime example of the series’ camera work and editing; the audience is often placed in a voyeuristic, fly-on-the-wall perspective, our eyes allowed to linger on minute details and pick up on symbolic motifs, but never to an extent that wears the story thin rather than enriching it. By the final episode, the greater picture falls satisfyingly into place, while still leaving the viewer to speculate and reach their own conclusions. Allow yourself to sink into the flow of this series, or rather it to sink into you, and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most elaborate and fulfilling TV experiences of the year so far.