Red Digital Readout

Many people will claim not to understand humanity, but Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) really doesn’t. He watches, speaks to, manipulates and kills people, but for the life of him, he can’t connect with them. When asked about his conscience, Ripley responds "When I was young, my lack of conscience concerned me. Now it doesn’t."

Not to say Ripley lacks any and all feeling towards other people; he can grow fond of them much in the way an average person enjoys a trusty pet. In Ripley's Game, he feels this way about his beautiful Italian wife and Jonathan(Dougray Scott), a local picture-framer suffering from leukemia. Jonathan first gets set in Ripley’s sights when he badmouths Ripley to a room full of party guests.

Seriously unamused by any affront to his taste, Ripley doesn’t hesitate to suggest Jonathan as a hitman to Reeves(Winstone), a criminal associate. Jonathan abhors the thought of harming another human being, but with limited time and money, he wants something to leave behind for his wife and son. At first, Ripley doesn’t make his involvement known, but shows up very unexpectedly to loan assistance during a complicated hit on a train ("Hold my watch, because if it breaks, I’ll kill everyone on this fucking train," Ripley remarks while preparing a garrote).

Ripley watches bemusedly as this mild-mannered man becomes a reluctant yet cold-blooded mob hitman. His involvement with the scheme is purely for entertainment purposes, as he already has a gorgeous Italian estate and millions in cash lying around the house. But the prospect of manipulating Jonathan through a web of sordid murder happens to be as much of a psychology project as a game, with all the players functioning as ants in Ripley’s quest to extract some meaning from the men around him. Despite Ripley’s seeming complete lack of empathy, he begins to take on feelings towards Jonathan that would qualify as endearment for a normal person, and for him are a gigantic step forward.

John Malkovich slips into the difficult role like a glove, with a predatory expression and unwaveringly calm, almost apathetic voice. No doubt about it, Malkovich inhabits Ripley’s skin in a way that would be nearly impossible for another actor to match, much less surpass. There are five other films featuring Ripley, each with a different actor, but this one leaves little reason to see the others. After Malkovich’s cool, sophisticated, and brilliant embodiment, picturing Matt Damon or Dennis Hopper as Ripley seems nearly laughable.

Despite his clearly evil actions, Ripley gains our sympathy. At one point, I slowly realized I actually was starting to admire him. It then occurred to me that we don’t like Ripley in spite of his faults, but because of them. In the world we inhabit, Ripley’s lack of conscience and willingness to use his gifts for evil at his leisure are extremely valuable assets, ones that ensure he will never lose, nor even come very close. That his actions make perfect sense to him in turn come to mean that they make perfect sense for us, even as we occasionally turn away at their horror.

But he isn’t just a one-note sociopath. Observe how he goes to great trouble to obtain an antique piano for his wife, and takes joy in holding her as she plays. Notice how he, without a second thought, rushes to rescue Jonathan, the man who may be the closest thing to a friend Ripley has ever had. When Jonathan saves Ripley’s life, all a befuddled Ripley can say in response is ‘Why did you do that?’ Later, when Ripley watches his wife play piano for Rome’s elite, he thinks about everything that has happened, and a smile creeps across his face. For once, even if just for a split second, Ripley understands what humanity is all about. What he will do with the revelation, we can only guess.

5 out of 5