Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Tom Ripley is a talented mimic, moocher, forger and all-around criminal improviser; but there's more to Tom Ripley than even he can guess.
Purple Noon is a gorgeous adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 'The Talented Mr. Ripley,' with Alain Delon delivering an icily magnetic performance that defines the role. Clément's direction bathes the Mediterranean in stunning, sun-drenched visuals that feel both lush and ominous — the cinematography is genuinely exceptional. The plot is tightly constructed and Delon's charismatic sociopathy keeps every scene coiled with tension. However, Novelty is tempered by the fact that it is adapting existing source material and working within established noir conventions, even if it does so with great style. The ending is the film's most contested element — Highsmith famously disliked it, and for good reason: the tidy, ironic conclusion undercuts Ripley's essential untouchability that makes the character so compelling, delivering a conventional moral resolution where the novel reveled in ambiguity and amorality.