What 'Ripley' Understands About Infiltrating The Rich

In today’s climate, where billionaires are swallowing media companies whole, it seems like every fictional TV or movie plot even marginally concerning wealthy characters must confront a number of familiar questions. Do the have-nots “eat the rich”? Does the story effectively make the audience want to condemn the wealthy or affluence in general?

And more broadly: What does it say about capitalism?

To be fair, filmmakers have baited responses like these lately with half-baked ideas about them in films like “Glass Onion” and the even more lacking “Saltburn.”

Netflix’s new series, “Ripley,” however, refuses to engage with any of this — to its benefit. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s popular novels following the escapades of grifter Tom Ripley, a character made cinematically famous in director Anthony Minghella’s terrific 1999 film, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Ripley” finds its protagonist just as calculating, unassuming and murderous as ever.

When we meet him at the start of his eight-episode journey, it’s the 1960s and Tom (absorbingly portrayed by Andrew Scott) is living in New York and getting by well enough on anonymous petty crimes. It’s clear he’s a loner — maybe by choice, due to his lifestyle, or maybe because he just likes it better that way. The audience never really knows for sure, and it doesn’t matter.

Each episode is sumptuous, shot with Robert Elswit’s crisp, black-and-white cinematography. Writer-director Steven Zaillian banks on the audience’s willingness to accompany Tom on the basis of his undeniable intrigue and his slick narrative.

He has the right assumption. It’s virtually impossible to not be fascinated by Tom’s every move, even for those of us who have already seen his trajectory play out before and