Ripley (2024) Netflix Series Review 

This series was absolutely riveting. 8 episodes and I watched the first 6 in one sitting. Highly recommended.

Believe it or not, this isn't about Aliens

A work of art - produced by Netflix. Who would believe it.

I’ve binged and loved it; my favorite Netflix series so far in 2024.

I loved it. The cat was a nice touch

Did you notice the Italian seaside town (Atrani) is the same one as in The Equalizer 3? I was expecting Denzel to bump into Ridley at any moment. And Dakota Fanning is in both!

This is what happen when goated writer bring his writing brilliance to already hit material, legendary Steven zillian who write Schindler list, girl with dragon tattoo, is director and writer of this show and he delivered big ip for Netflix

The only thing I couldnt understand - why detectives never even asked for a photo of Tom and Richard?? How they were following him just knowing his name? And nobody ever gave their distinctive description: blue and brown eyes!!!

TBH I wish there was an original story/mystery with this setting and atmosphere rather than a Ripley retelling.

Saw the first episode... the show is so so so so so beautiful. Probably the most gorgeous show I've seen...

Why the hell did they make my favorite charecter Freddy miles a gender neutral 🙈

Binged it this weekend and completed it today, definately worth the watch

As an actor myself, I thought Andrew Scott's performance was exquisite! There could be no false acting bravado beats. The amazing direction here and cinematography placed him under a microscope that didn't allow any broad strokes. He and the entire cast gave tremendous performances.

Goddamn Austin! I've had such a busy couple of years that I haven't spent much time around youtube, but I checked out this video and was shocked at how much the quality has improved! You were a great critic before, but the editing and the writing has gotten so much better (not to mention your sub count😅). I haven't been around here since deep covid times but now I def gotta stop by every one in a while. Congrats!

This show was fire!!

While I think the actors involved all brought their respective “A” games, I would have likely cast Ripley and Greenleaf differently. Andrew Scott is almost 50, Johnny Flynn is 41 and then you have Eliot Sumner who plays Freddie who is barely into his 30’s and Dakota Fanning who’s just turned 30 herself. The two male leads should have also been in their late 20’s/early 30’s and the difference is so noticeable that it made it difficult to fully buy into the story. “The Talented Mr. Ripley” film from 1999 that started Matt Damon and Jude Law were both in their late 20’s when they played these same roles. Having a young, bohemian circle of friends felt genuine in that film where here, the age differences were distracting. The only other thing that fell short of my expectations was the fact that I happen to see John Malkovich listed in the cast ahead of my viewing. I tried to go in as blind as possible and I was hoping that Malkovich would appear at the end of the series as Tom Ripley which would have given it perfect continuity with the Ripley sequel from 2002, “Ripley’s Game” where it shows Malkovich playing an older, more mature Tom Ripley. Sadly, his cameo was more of a nod to Ripley fans as a minor character in this series who runs into the Tom Ripley character during the early 1960’s.

Love the Noir series. It's the black in white cinematography and the first scene that suck me right in. With motifs like Greenleaf's camera always in display on a dresser everywhere he checks in, Marge herself is a photographer, photographs in piles on the table, pictures in daily newspapers, paparazzi taking pictures of Marge, etc. I wish the detective would ask for a photograph of Ripley or of Greenleaf from Marge when he visits her in Atrani. Or, Greenleaf's father who travels to Italy to look for his son, shouldn't he bring a photograph? The way the story ends makes me wonder if they plan a second season in the future, or just fat chance!

This feels like na Emmy nominated show

This guy is certainly more creepy as ripley than matt damon or barry pepper or John malcovich were. Other than that, the show was a bit too slow for me.

I watched it in three sittings. Great show. I felt so strongly for the protagonist and did not want him to get caught, I felt vicariously guilty for his sins. I guess the actor did a good job. 🤔

It completely missed the mark IMO. i thought Andrew Scott would be good but he's far too sociopathic, to the point that none of the auxillary characters would ever have him around in real life. He's like a walking, talking porcelain doll. And Dickie is a big miss as well - he's supposed to be a charasmatic rascal and he's utterly dour in this. I'm a big fan of the book and the 1999 adaptation, and while I'm all for reinventing something, this has stripped the story of its personality IMO. All style, no substance.

Definitely binging it. Love noir so much

Great score. I'll try to watch it over the weekend.

Im already on episode 6 and absolutely loving it. I love all the detail that ive never seen anything like. Theres a couple moments of heavy handed foreshadowing but overall i think its fantastic

Unbelievably brilliant portrayal by Andrew Scott!!!

Talented Mr Ripley with Damon and Law is a great film and one of my all-time favourites, so I was excited about this adaptation and how they will tell Ripley's story again but with a new look and new perspective on the character. I think Andrew Scott was phenomenal as Ripley, a cold, merciless, and conniving con man/killer who clearly was chasing a lavish lifestyle through other people in means to get a satisfaction that he believes he deserves. But what makes this performance stand out to me more than Damon's, even tho I love Damon's portrayal as well, is that this Ripley is completely cold, he is not needy or begs for attention or approval. He is just a bad guy. Some may say a narcisstic sociopath or psychopath. He barely showed any emotion whatosver to the people he hurt or killed, the only thing he cares about is making sure he is in a good place and anything else does not matter unless he is feeling great, other people are just toys in means to get what he wants. But he also appreciates art and life in his own way, but the sad part is that in reality, he is a loner, a runner and seems like he never was truly loved for who he is as a person I mean I could go on and on but I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Oh, and also, he is definitely less charismatic than Damon's version. With Damon's portrayal, he was oozing charisma in this one. Ripley is just a creepy, calculated manipulator with a look of a complete Psycho. Either way, I appreciate both performances and like both of them in they own ways, I think the Damon's movie version is more of a entertaining film but this one is definitely more for film buffs and people who appreciate authenticity, amazing acting, masterful cinematography, outstanding sets and great writing. Also, this one feels like straight out of the book, I imagine reading one of those books and imagining these scenes playing in my head while I am reading one of these pages, this even feels like a book but I can see how this series won't be for everybody and that's understandable. It's a very neo-noir/psychological while the movie was more of a fun thriller. Don't get me wrong the movie was still very well made, but it was definitely more colourful in it's approach and more for mainstream audiences than the show Ripley, I can see some people absolutely be bored by this but I really enjoyed it overall. Would give it a solid 8/10

The actor who played the cat was fantastic!

Love every frame… acting is superb all across the board

Thank you for whetting my appetite without giving any spoliers away! 👌

Brilliant and worth watching again!

This is a true MASTERPIECE ! My favourite show on Netflix for years.....

I agree that sometimes it was a bit slow but never boring or tedious. Detailed. One of the best series that I've seen in a long time. I've watched it twice so far.

Loved it, the details were amazing.

I LOVED this series. Andrew Scott was riveting. Just the looks on his face oozed evil and cunning. You mentioned it was all B+W. Actually, there was one scene at the very end of episode 5, where the cat left bloody paw prints on the stair. The prints were red.

The black and white was brilliant and the drama of the visual is stunning. Great video

I hope it does well and that they come back with another season even though its not currently planned to make another. There is plenty of material in the other Ripley books.

Was interested in this based on the cast and Zaillian's involvement. The fact that it's in B&W and your review really makes me want to see this now. Thank you Austin!

I'm on episode 5 and I don't wan this to end...fantastic love every bit of it.

Excellent review, Austin Burke! Director Zaillian and cinematographer Robert Elswit have created a cinematic masterpiece, re-inventing noir in cinema. This is film (presented as a series) composed as a work of art. It is close to the source material, and very different from the 1999 movie. That movie with Damon, Law, and Paltrow, is now an iconic fashion travelogue, and much more likable, and yes, perhaps for many, more "entertaining". Having said that, if taken on its own terms, this series is an extraordinary work that is measured, taut, and is as coldblooded as its psychopathic protagonist, Tom Ripley. Andrew Scott gives a tour de force performance.

And the photography! Gosh! Amazing series!!!!

I'll go so far as saying that this is the best series I've ever seen on TV!....there are a couple of weak points like in every show but I can easily forgive them with the wonderful marriage of cinematography, the sound design and the storyline makes it 99%

Absolutely Great review!! About to settle in a watch it now

Agree she had more energy as a corpse than when she was alive lol

Thanks for the review

Love love the series, love the suspense. Please have season 2 🎉

loved it! hope we get season 2!!

.I've never realized that murder could be so exhausting. Disposing of the bodies was a nightmare.

Lucio deserves an award

Hi Austin. Why can I not find anywhere a talk on the cinematography of The Netflix Ripley series?. The photography is outstanding, amazing and deserves an Oscar for Best Cinematography. If you know where I can find a talk on the Cinematography of this film any where on RU-vid please let me know. .Thanks a lot GarryUK

Grayscale me intrigued

After his portrayal of Moriarty in Sherlock, I'll watch anything Andrew Scott does.

I binged it twice so far. I definitely missed a few things during the first watch. I think that it is as good as they could have done with this extaordinary story. I want to see more even if I don't know the rest of the story other than what I can see from a quick search on wikipedia.

I'm so glad I went into this with fresh eyes. Never watched the original. The tension in the show is incredible

I loved it. Of course, Andrew Scott is always great. Dakota Fanning was unexpectedly fantastic. They are all very talented actors. Italy was beautiful. I loved the Noir feel. As someone said below "A work of Art"'.

I grew up loving the original movie adaptation of Talented Mr Ripley with Matt Damon & Jude Law, so i'm really excited to see what they do with this new adaptation. The original movie was really disturbing, & it looks like this new version is going to be every bit as unnsettling. Also love that they've filmed this version in black & white, as that fits the classic 50s/60s noir vibe of the story.

Agree almost entirely. Totally riveting - tedious only one episode zero need for it to take a full episode 'finishing off' Dickie. B&W cinematography, epic good - tired of Italy portrayed forever in glorious color - dulls your concentration. Makes me want to revisit places I have known well. Makes me want to revisit Caravaggio as well. Marge is brilliant, wish there was more of her. Stunning performance.

Then “Freddy” turns up 😂😂

Ooooh ok will check it out ❤

The foley artists worked their butts off on this one! The footfalls alone bordered on ASMR - loved it!

am watching slowly to savor every scene.I is so different from the movie.Italy in the sixties is very well replicated.truly a great series.kudos to all involved

Younger audiences find movies or series very slowed down because they like things happening ALL the time . I like a much slower pace and slow build . it's like slowly putting a 'ground' on a painting , it takes time , but it pays off in the long run . Modern audiences have 'short' attention spans . By the way I loved this series and every few frames of black and white could be a still picture ( it's that good ) . Best series I've seen in years , oh - and i'm 76 years old , maybe that factors in . I'm not conforming to the ultra 'fast' pace of this world .

🎉🎉🎉

i enjoyed every moment...so noir...

Ok it all sounds good, but was it better and/or different from the movie which was astounding??

This was gonna be my opening! Lol damn…the flu 🥹

Incredible 🎉 it will win an award for sure 👏

Are u gonna do a invincible finale review?

I loved it, and I would love to see more of this type of Film Noir on TV. I found that, besides the great performances, that Italy really shone is this and was breathtaking! I only felt the actor who played Freddy Miles wasn't the best choice, but I kept thinking Of Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the movie, who was fab, and just didnt feel Freddy was much in this version ;)

The film is superb. Go see it.

The moment after the murder of the young friend of Dickie, when he takes the glass of wine to his mouth and pauses, and then drinks, is the mark of a masterpiece.

They absolutely butchered Philip S Hoffmans character with Ultra woke bullshit! Such a shame

Way better than the McDonalds trash we are forced to see daily this felt like a meal not a big Mc 😂

love everything about it, except for the last episode was a bit rushed

While the locations were beautiful, the show itself was so-so. The pace was maddening. Some scenes were so drawn out, it felt as if they were in real time. Andrew Scott is a phenomenal actor, but none of his charisma came through in this show.

Had a hard time staying awake; EVERYTHING that happens in this series could have happened in about 1 episode

The talented Mr. Ripley with Ripley being played by Matt Damon was much better.... Tom and Dickie are too old and too serious While I liked the cinematography The overall series was just boring as can be The lead actor playing Tom was just hard to like on any level from the very beginning Matt Damon's character was interesting and enjoyable until he went dark and started killing people... The best characters were the apartment manager in Rome and the character. Marge I'm struggling to get through this Maybe I'll finish it

I wish you hadn't given away the murder I know that's not the major plot point but I didn't know it was coming and now I do

Finally a very dark Ripley Show. and I love Purple Noon and The talented mr ripley but they were all a bit too fancy

lol my uncle was a producer for Ripley :D

BRILLIANT

Two episodes in, the cinematography is so artistic, every single frame is like an art from historical European artist, it so good, 🤌🏾

Everything was wonderful, until the wig scene happened... They destroyed the ending so stupidly

Just ask for a fucking picture

Anyway, I like this series much more than the movie

I don't know. It is just cast completely wrong... I mean Ripley is 25!!!! in the books and Andrew Scott is 47!!!! Almost double. Just wrong.

I love the movie The Talented Mr Ripley with Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow and I'm so excited to see this adaptation of the Netflix Thriller Series especially with one of my favorite actress Dakota Fanning.... I have to watch this series later because I got to finish listening to Beyoncè's album Cowboy Carter and anime😂 jk lol.

Definitely story wise it felt like just another season of You

Visually stunning show, but are they trying to have a realistic approach to this or not? They spend so much on Ripley getting rid of the bodies, but then they have the worlds dumbest detective on this case that just lets Ripley do whatever he wants and can't see what is so obvious. I'm fully convinced even I wouldve solved this case. Just took me out of it. Also, one very odd casting choice on this show too that just took me out of it every time this somebody showed up on screen. I liked the first 3 episodes a lot, but then the show just overstays its welcome and it's just Tom hopping from hotel to hotel, writing letters, and walking up stairs. I like a slow burn, but this was just too slow for me. Could've finished this in 6 episodes. Idk why every show tries so hard to hit 8 episodes when it's just not needed.

I think Andrew Scott is too old to play Ripley. Eliott Sumner is also miscast as Freddie Miles. I think Purple Noon and The Talented Mr. Ripley were better adaptations.

I love the original movie with Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. They have movie star qualities. Matt Damon is like an awkward but likable nerd, so that's why Jude Law lowered his guard to befriend him. Jude Law was so gorgeous and charismatic in the movie version. This new guy does not have Jude's charm and alluring vibe. The dialogue and the conversation between Tom and Dickey are so dry and lack chemistry that it's hard to convince the audience why Dickey would want Tom to stick around. Dakota Johnson also lacks the original classy vibe from Gweneth Paltrow. I don't like Gweneth as an actress, but now I can see why she was well know for awhile. Having the same story spread over 8 episodes also slows down the pace, instead of the intensity of the original movie. I love Adam Scott, and he's okay, but the material didn't do him justice.

I’m comparing this with the 1999 movie starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s Andrew Scott’s series. He’s totally captivating in the role and blow’s Matt Damon’s 1999 portrayal out of the water. Andrew Scott Is totally believable as a cunning, slimy, nimble, ruthless, creepy and deadly efficient killer. The other actors - Johnny Flynn looks the part as Richard Greenleaf (more serious than Jude Law’s boyish, fun loving turn), Dakota Fanning is very good as a sly Marge, not the goody two shoes portrayal by Gwyneth Paltrow. The two Italian actors are excellent - Mauricio Lombardi as Inspector Ravini, trying to figure out why and how the murders occurred & Margherita Buy as Tom Ripley’s landlady. These characters were missing from the 1999 movie. Pity. How can you have a movie set in Italy with no major characters. There were a couple of duff notes. Eliot Sumner could never match the excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman’s scene stealing performance as Freddie. Also, Why would a rich father hire a private detective to seek out a con artist to get his son to return from Italy? The private detective was unnecessary. In the movie, Tom Ripley impersonates a rich person at a party where Dickie Greenleaf’s father meets him which is a more believable scenario. The cinematography is fabulous. Shot in black and white, early 1960s new wave style, Italy looks glorious and it’s a really tight & well paced thriller. Really worth a watch. See the movie too and compare.

As much as I like Andrew Scott, I thought his Ripley was a fail. His character has none of the charm of Matt Damon’s Ripley which was the whole basis of the immediate relationship with Dickie. Hard to remake one of the best movies of all time.

I don’t know who the chick is who played Freddy, but she did a decent job. It’s not easy for a woman to do. Especially when you are obviously a woman! I think it’s cool that no one raised hell over this.

I liked aspects of it, but the black and white was too pretentious (I was alive in the 1960s, and we LIVED in color, believe it or not...), and I hated the casting choice for Ripley. The actor did a great job, but there was NO way that he could have beguiled so many people looking as skeevey as he did. Ripley NEEDS to be a chameleon, but one who is a blank canvas to begin with, which is why people tend not to remember him until he transforms into "Dickie".

Matt Damon's character was more likeable, and the on screen chemisty between him and Jude Law's character was more convincing I thought. You could kind of sympathize with the original character, but in this version the character comes off as a psychotic grifter. Cinematography was great, like you said, but this one lacks the soul of the original.

I really h@te this Andre Scott guy, he tried too hard to play the bad guy and it was really frustrating to watch the detectives do such sloppy jobs. Also, why was Freddie playing with fire when he decided to confront him straight up ? Why did Dickie's father bring this crook into his son's life ? I love th movie but the characters were really dumb in this one, sorry. Watched it only for the super talented Johnny Flynn.

The wig scene totally ruined the show, was brilliant up until then. Are Italian police this terrible?

This had so much potential. Andrew Scott absolutely nails it.. despite the show feeling rushed, poorly written with half realised characters (primarily with Marge/Dickie) I was still with it.. but that last episode had me saying "what a unholy mess!"

TEDIOUS is right....but the Matt Damon version was excellent. The Film Noir style did not work at all even though the cimematography was good, it never felt like a Classic Noir. And the story was so damn glacial. Just a lot of boring filler in this and Dakota was just leaden with such a poorly written part for her.

Andrew Scott was so monotone in his performance, and lacked any charm or charisma in the role, that i just got incredibly bored with him. Whenever he was trying to portray layers and nuance, it just fell very flat imo (like, he was struggling to move his face). It didn't help he had no chemistry with the other characters - who also lacked charm and charisma - which made all scenes with them amount to awkward silence, rather than interesting dynamics. It was very unbelievable that (in this adaptation) Dickie would invite Tom to stay, and for as long as he did It was also crazy to me how much this seasoned conman just screamed suspicious. Like, everyone he comes into contact with gives him the side eye because he's just one big red flag I think because i wasn't invested in Ripley, or most of the characters (i liked the inspector and to a lesser extent marge), i just found it boring Scenes that i usually would have no issue with (like both very drawn out body disposals), i thought were tedious because i just didn't care. So much time that could have been better spent on characters Also, i agree with other posts regarding that wig scene. How did that actually work?