The Talented Mr. Ripley

This is one of those films where most people are split..you either love it or you hate it. I would be in the love camp on this one and as most have seen it at least once I won't waste time going into the details on this one. Yes, Matt Damon and Jude Law are fantastic with Philip Seymour Hoffman not far behind, Gwyneth Paltrow is all but wasted here though the same can not be said of Cate Blanchett's minor role. I will also add that had anybody other than Anthony Minghella been in the director's seat this film would most likely have fallen flat on it's face. His eye for beauty and detail and his knack for subtle pacing give this picture the heart it needs to be effective and the results are truly rewarding to say the least. Another observation I might make is the time frame...if the story hadn't taken place in the Fifties it would not have worked and the viewer might do well to keep this in mind before using this modern era of CSI overkill to rip the plot to shreds, take it for what it is and see why it garnered 5 Oscar nods......thhey were well deserved.