Ripley Review: Andrew Scott Mesmerizes in Netflix’s Noir Masterpiece

Steven Zaillian’s Ripley is a stunning eight-episode adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel that transforms 1960s Italy into a black-and-white playground for one of fiction’s greatest sociopaths. Andrew Scott stars as Tom Ripley, and his performance — cold, calculating, and strangely magnetic — is reason enough to watch. But Ripley offers far more than a great lead performance. Shot entirely in luminous monochrome by cinematographer Robert Elswit, this is one of the most visually distinctive shows Netflix has ever produced.

How We Reviewed: We based this review on viewing all available episodes before publishing and analysis of writing, direction, and ensemble performance. Ratings reflect full-season viewing, critical analysis, and production quality assessment. No sponsorship or affiliate relationship influenced our selections.

The Con

The story follows Tom Ripley, a small-time New York grifter, who is hired by wealthy shipbuilder Herbert Greenleaf to travel to Italy and convince his wayward son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to return home. Tom accepts the job but quickly becomes obsessed with Dickie’s lifestyle — the sun-drenched Italian coast, the beautiful girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), the effortless privilege of inherited wealth. When persuasion fails, Tom’s methods escalate from manipulation to murder, and the remainder of the series follows his increasingly elaborate efforts to evade detection.

Scott’s Ripley is a departure from previous portrayals. Where Matt Damon played the character as a nervous striver and John Malkovich as a cool aesthete, Scott creates something more reptilian. His Tom is patient, observant, and almost entirely devoid of empathy. The charm is there when he needs it — Scott can flip a switch and become warm, self-deprecating, even endearing — but behind the performance is a void. It is a chilling portrayal that never asks for sympathy and is all the more fascinating for it.

The Black and White

The decision to shoot in black and white is not merely aesthetic — it transforms the entire experience. Robert Elswit’s cinematography turns Rome, Atrani, and the Amalfi Coast into a noir landscape where shadows conceal motives and light reveals uncomfortable truths. The monochrome palette strips away the romanticized warmth that typically characterizes depictions of Italy, leaving something starker and more menacing. Architecture becomes imposing rather than charming. Faces are sculpted by shadow rather than flattering sunlight.

Zaillian, who wrote the screenplay for Schindler’s List and directed A Civil Action, brings a deliberate, methodical pace that mirrors Ripley’s own approach to his crimes. Scenes unfold with a patience that some viewers will find hypnotic and others may find glacial. A sequence involving the disposal of evidence takes the better part of an episode, and the tension comes not from whether Tom will succeed but from watching a meticulous mind work through every contingency.

The Supporting Cast

Johnny Flynn’s Dickie Greenleaf is perfectly cast — handsome, careless, and possessed of an ease that Tom can imitate but never truly achieve. Dakota Fanning gives Marge an intelligence that makes her the most dangerous person in Tom’s orbit, the one who sees through him from the beginning but lacks the evidence to prove her suspicions. Eliot Sumner is effective as Freddie Miles, the boorish friend whose visit to Rome precipitates the story’s most violent turn.

Highsmith Done Right

Ripley succeeds as an adaptation because it trusts Highsmith’s novel. Unlike the 1999 film, which softened Tom into a sympathetic figure, the series presents him as the predator Highsmith intended. The moral universe of the show is deeply unsettling — Tom commits terrible acts and gets away with them, and the show offers no comfort that justice will prevail. This is not a story about crime and punishment but about crime and escape, and the discomfort it creates is entirely intentional.

Verdict

Ripley is a masterclass in restrained, confident storytelling. Andrew Scott delivers one of the great performances of the year, the black-and-white photography is breathtaking, and Zaillian’s direction makes every scene feel weighted with consequence. It is slow, deliberate, and utterly absorbing — the kind of show that rewards patience with unforgettable images and a deep unease that lingers long after it ends.

Rating: 9/10

For more Netflix standouts, see the Best Netflix Original Shows in 2025 and our list of the Best Thriller Series Streaming in 2025.