Truly Dreadful Film

It is a performances centric movie

Admirable film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

RIPLEY UNDER GROUND (2005)Tom Wilkinson. Simon Callow. Clare Forlani… The casting is fine with the unfortunate exception of Barry Pepper (excellent in The 25th Hour) who is miscast as Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley. Then again, this movie is only nominally a Ripley film. Why, because the misfiring slapstick of the screenplay taken with the frenetic "action" orientation of the pedestrian direction are wrong-headed. And that's a shame. Actors, however competent, cannot save films lacking intelligence, wit, subtlety, and style. Highsmith requires these four things, plus atmosphere. Postcard shots of a French château, jump cuts, and wooden dialogue just don't meet the mark. Nor is mere attitude (for example, an arty archness) any substitute for substance (in this case, the mental machinations of Mr. Ripley). And yet, there are worse movies on offer. Far worse.

This is very good thriller. I like very much black humor what make film in second level.I'm always like Patricia Highsmith novel, but it's very hard make movie because filmmaker not always understand the humor what Patricia make in charactersBut this films understand that very well. CAST is PERFECT!Barry Pepper is a good Tom Ripley!Claire Forlani and Alan Cumming acting travesty in art people. it's very funny

I bought this, cheap on second hand DVD - and I didn't expect much. I had seen: "The talented Mr Ripley" and "Ripleys game" before - so I was a bit curious as to how this one would go down, because I haven't heard anything about it and that is usually a bad sign. - But.... I absolutely LOVED it. The plot was intriguing, and I loved the actors - and the ending - just perfect ! This is a movie I,m gonna watch again in a years time. At the end of this movie I actually raised my arms up and shouted: "Bloody hell!!! GREAT movie !!! There is also a bit of music in the middle of the movie when Tom goes to France I think for the first time - anyone know what music that is? Its beautiful.

Filmed back in 2004, but left on the shelf for 3 years, 'Ripley Under Ground' aka 'White On White' has been released on DVD in Europe.Barry Pepper plays Ripley as something of a low-key rock-star - long hair, a close shave and charisma to burn – and the tone of the thing is far lighter than any of the previous incarnations - 'Purple Noon' ,'The American Friend', 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', 'Ripley's Game', etc.Some early reviewers have referred to it as a 'comedy', but it's not, really. Unfortunately, the lighter tone actually hurts the film a bit, because this outing paints Mr. Ripley as less of a menace and sociopath than any of the Ripley films that have preceded it.This interpretation apparently sprang from a comment that Ms. Highsmith made about the films adapted of her novels: She apparently felt that the films missed the humor of her character and the droll wit of her dark plots. But the humor in this effort tends to undermines the suspense.Beside having freed Mr. Pepper from the short-haired grunt roles that he usually plays, the film really allows Alan Cumming and Claire Forlani to shine in ways that they usually aren't allowed to when they are shoe-horned into American accents. She is officially excused from having participated in 'Meet Joe Black'.It's a good, but not great film. The delight was seeing Barry Pepper stretch-out in the kind of role he's seldom given.I typically enjoy the Ripley films and novels for their psychopathy, but this was different enough to be enjoyable. If you come across it on cable or the Shanghai bootleg carrels try not to overlook it.*** out of *****