? THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY ? Tom Ripley (Damon) is a bright and charismatic sociopath who makes his way in mid-'50s New York City as a men's room attendant and sometimes pianist, though his real skill is in impersonating other people. Tom meets the shipping tycoon father of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), who has traveled to the coast of Italy, where he's living a carefree life with his father's money. Dickie's father will pay Ripley 1,000 dollars plus his expenses if he can persuade Dickie to return to America. As Ripley and Dickie become friends, Tom finds he would rather be Dickie Greenleaf than Tom Ripley, so he impulsively murders Dickie and assumes his identity. Run Time: 139 minutes
? RIPLEY'S GAME ? The star this time is John Malkovich, whose older Tom Ripley has settled into an Italian villa. A former partner (Ray Winstone) drags an innocent frame-maker (Dougray Scott), into the role of unexpected hit man. Liliana Cavani, of The Night Porter notoriety, directed this handsome if nebulous film. Malkovich exudes his usual oily disenchantment with the world; Lena Headey, like the location footage, is gorgeous. Run Time: 110 minutes
