The Tom Ripley books, written by Patricia Highsmith, include five novels: “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1955), “Ripley Under Ground” (1970), “Ripley’s Game” (1974), “The Boy Who Followed Ripley” (1980), and “Ripley Under Water” (1991). These novels follow the life of the con artist Tom Ripley and are collectively known as the Ripliad.
Suave, agreeable, and completely amoral, Patricia Highsmith’s hero, the inimitable Tom Ripley, stops at nothing–not even murder–to accomplish his goals. In achieving for himself the opulent life that he was denied as a child, Ripley shows himself to be a master of illusion and manipulation and a disturbingly sympathetic combination of genius and psychopath. As Highsmith navigates the mesmerizing tangle of Ripley’s deadly and sinister games, she turns the mystery genre inside out and takes us into the mind of a man utterly indifferent to evil.
There have also been feature films starting with Purple Noon in 1960 soon after the book was published and a rebirth of interest in the character of Tom Ripley with 1999s excellent “The Talented Mr. Ripley” staring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Freddie.
There was also the gorgeous Netflix limited series “Ripley” shot in beautiful black and white starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley.
Major Film Adaptations
| Title | Year | Director | Notable Actors | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Noon | 1960 | René Clément | Alain Delon | The first adaptation, set in Italy, focusing on Ripley’s charm and deceit. |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley | 1999 | Anthony Minghella | Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow | A psychological thriller where Ripley assumes the identity of a wealthy playboy he murders. |
| Ripley’s Game | 2002 | Liliana Cavani | John Malkovich | Based on the second novel, depicting Ripley’s life as he engages in art forgery and revenge. |
| Ripley Under Ground | 2005 | Roger Spottiswoode | Barry Pepper, Willem Dafoe | Focuses on Ripley’s art forgery scheme and the lengths he goes to protect his secrets. |
| Ripley (Netflix Series) | 2024 | Steven Zaillian | Andrew Scott | A limited series exploring Ripley’s life in 1960s Italy, emphasizing his psychological depth. |
