“A Talent for Murder”
(Switzerland/Australia/Italy/USA/UK)
Metacritic (6/10), Letterboxd (3/5), Imdb.com (6/10), TMDB.com (6/10), Imdb.com critics review
#BrentMarchant #ATalentforMurder #HelenMirren #AldenEhrenreich #OliviaCooke #PatriciaHighsmith #TomRipley #Switzerland #novelist #StrangersonaTrain #recluse #TheTalentedMrRipley #bookpublisher #thriller #villain #mysterynovel #mountainretreat #cantankerousoldcoot #biography #fantasy #psychologicalsparring #wit #transformation #hybrid#masterclass #darkcharacter #muddle
Mysteries have been a staple of the movie industry almost as long as the artform has been in existence. However, the point of these thrillers is to figure them out (or at least get a clear explanation of them), not leave audiences confused by what they just watched. But that drawback, unfortunately but accurately, justifies the opinions of many viewers and critics about this latest release from director Anton Corbijn. Fans of mystery novels have long loved the works of author Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren), especially the five books she wrote featuring the enigmatically notorious villain Tom Ripley. In 1995, as Highsmith’s career was winding down and not long before her death, she was living as a recluse in Switzerland. And, even though the quality of her writing was slipping, her publisher was still determined to get one last Ripley novel out of her, despite her lack of interest in taking on such a project. Nevertheless, the author’s stubborn refusal didn’t stop the effort to secure a signed contract for such a work. The publisher assigned this task to an impressionable, easily intimidated young editor, Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich), who paid an unannounced visit to her mountain retreat, a move that angered Highsmith to no end. When Edward announced his intention, they initially quarreled intensely, but he patiently and persistently wore her down, eventually engaging in a plot collaboration for a book with the cantankerous old coot. But, while their psychological sparring is highly entertaining and full of lively macabre wit, what happens from this point onward undermines the goodwill built up with audiences in the opening act. In essence, Edward morphs into Ripley (and periodically reverts back to himself). During his transitions as Ripley, Edward sports the same devious persona as Highsmith’s famous creation as he acts out the narrative of the proposed book. But is Edward’s transformation real? A depiction of a virtual “what if” in the minds of the collaborators? Some kind of hybrid combination of the two? That’s never made particularly clear, and that’s where the film goes off the rails. In their favor, the filmmakers admit that this is a fictional tale involving a real life individual, but the fusion of these elements doesn’t work especially well. The blurring of the lines between biography and fantasy is itself dubious enough in principle, but it’s made even more confounding when viewers are unable to distinguish which is which in the film’s unfolding. To the picture’s credit, allusions to Highsmith’s well-known cranky persona and range of quirky interests and habits make the protagonist come alive in a sense, and fans of her writing will appreciate the film’s cleverly placed references to elements found in her novels Strangers on a Train (1950) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955). And then there is Mirren’s positively outstanding award-worthy performance as the famed writer, delivering a master class in how to portray a quintessentially dark character. Kudos also go out to a fine supporting cast featuring Olivia Cooke, Juliet Stevenson and Brid Brennan. But, for all of these strengths, the essential element of “A Talent for Murder” – telling a riveting story – is lost in a sea of muddle, undercutting the value behind all of these other attributes. And, from where I stand, that’s the real mystery for me.