Thriller series Ripley reissues a 69-year-old classic – without the annoying Netflix problem

Right at the beginning of Ripley, the title character drags a body behind him down the stairs. The lifeless figure’s head repeatedly hits the steps against the sharp shadows of the railing and it becomes clear that the victim is no longer alive. Only when a voice from above echoes through the nocturnal stairwell because of the disturbance does the perpetrator stop. But in the end only one cat bears witness to the murderous goings-on in the most beautiful Italian setting. A cat and us, which we watch on Netflix from the playful Sherlock star Andrew Scott in the captivatingly beautifully filmed thriller to let go.

That’s what Netflix’s new thriller remake Ripley with Sherlock star Andrew Scott is about

Netflix’s Ripley gives the Sherlock villain his own series: The petty criminal Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is sent from New York to Italy in 1961. Here he is supposed to convince a rich shipbuilder’s son Richard Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return home. But “Dickie” enjoys dad’s money and the la dolce vita with his girlfriend Marge (Dakota Fanning) too much to comply with his father’s wishes. Tom, in turn, gets to know the enjoyable life of the upper class at Dickie’s side and increasingly desires to claim this existence for himself.

Watch the trailer for the Netflix series Ripley here

The miniseries Ripley, produced by Showtime (known for Dexter among others) but published by Netflix, is based on the book The Talented Mr. Ripley * by the American psychological thriller author Patricia Highsmith. The novel is the start of a 5-volume saga and has already been made into a film several times. However, the black and white Netflix version is this first adaptation as a multi-part series. Ripley’s director and screenwriter of all episodes is none other than Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List).

Finally a “nice” series on Netflix: Ripley has managed an amazing new edition after 69 years

As a remake of a familiar story, Netflix’s Ripley faces the challenge of bringing new facets to Patricia Highsmith’s 69-year-old novel. The series does this brilliantly. Because each of the three best-known film adaptations examines the character from a slightly different perspective. While Alain Delon’s Ripley in Only the Sun Was Witness (1960) murders out of emotion and Matt Damon’s Tom in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) almost acts in self-defense, Andrew Scott’s Tom Ripley kills with one calm calculation that gives you goosebumps.

When the versatile Irish actor Andrew Scott takes on the identity of the American Mr. Ripley, the character never completely loses our sympathies despite the trip into the head of a psychopath that takes place here. Unlike Scott’s Sherlock villain Moriarty, Tom Ripley is not an erratic, bored villain; Opportunistic criminal. After initially stealing letters in New York in order to collect alleged reminder fees from their addressees, his talent only receives unexpected opportunities in Italy that he simply doesn’t want to miss. Which only makes his rise even scarier.

Accordingly, stairs become a recurring element for up-and-coming Ripley – and both an eye-catcher and a metaphor for the camera. The fact that the series is (almost) exclusively in black and white shouldn’t put anyone off. Quite the opposite: Netflix has rarely had such beautiful pictures to offer. When faced with the problem of the unspeakably “cheap” Netflix look of most series, it’s like a sigh of relief.

The camera work by Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood) oscillates between light and shadow and well-composed shots that make use of their foregrounds and backgrounds. In the sun-drenched landscape, some holidaymakers in Italy may sometimes miss the color, but… Thriller with a dark noir flair The Ripley series more than makes up for this with its ambience full of shades of gray.

Podcast with Ripley: The 15 best series starts in April on Netflix, Amazon and Co.

Do you need more fresh streaming tips? We present the most exciting series in April, which start on Netflix, Amazon, WOW and Co., in the monthly overview:

Among the 15 streaming highlights of the series you will find the large-scale sci-fi video game film Fallout on Amazon in April. Netflix is ​​also showing Ripley, a thriller remake with a Sherlock villain, and Robert Downey Jr. is hardly recognizable in The Sympathizer.

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