Chalk this one up right next to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in the annals of "okay, maybe recycling IP isn't that bad after all", though I think the Tom Ripley persona is less like, say, Star Wars, and more something like Macbeth or James Bond — an archetype, a narrative playground through which directors and actors can create their own adventures and make their own bold statements.
And talk about a bold statement! Showrunner Steven Zaillian (who was not a name I was familiar with coming into the premise but was responsible for writing many parts of what I would consider the "elevated normcore dad canon": Schindler's List, Gangs of New York, Moneyball, Clear and Present Danger). This is as auteurly as one can imagine from a miniseries, with every cent in the budget sumptuously accounted for.
This is beautiful, captivating television. There's a lot to return to, and it's powerful in its first strokes. What more [1] can you want?
Besides, perhaps, maybe one or two less plot points that strain incredulity? ↩︎
★★★★★
