‘Ripley’ Review: Andrew Scott Is a Magnetic Sociopath in Gorgeous Netflix Limited Series

Writer-director Steven Zaillian and cinematographer Robert Elswit revel in the artistry of adapting Patricia Highsmith’s celebrated novel

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Andrew Scott in "Ripley." (Netflix)

What are you seeing? That question drives “Ripley,” the eight-episode limited series made for Showtime but premiering on Netflix on Thursday, April 4.

This third filmed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” looks like more of a character study than a crime spree or Italian travelogue, but when viewed from different angles it’s those things too. We spend more time just hanging with sociopath imposter Tom Ripley here than in any of the previous, shorter-by-definition feature film productions (the 1999 “Talented Mr. Ripley” and 1960 “Purple Noon” from the same source, “The American Friend” and “Ripley’s Game” from a sequel in the five-book series), and are thereby drawn complicitly deeper into his viewpoint than ever.

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