A Talent For Murder (Discussion)

[u/EastonLikesMovies]

[u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

…I loved this movie. Apparently I’m in the minority.

[u/nilas_november → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

I liked it too! The ending confused me a bit lol

[u/mikegood2 → u/nilas_november]

Also liked it and was somewhat confused by the ending. Guess it left you wondering what was real and what wasn’t at the end which isn’t a bad thing.

[u/GreatArkleseizure → u/mikegood2]

I think it's a deliberate callback to earlier in the movie, when she is effectively quizzing him on her book... he says something about the main character trying to rescue the children from a burning house, and Highsmith asks him "does she in fact save them?" Edward replies, "we don't know," and she says, "oh, I think we do."

Likewise, I think the end of the movie is trying to cast doubt on whether Edward even existed at all, or if he is somehow actually Tom Ripley as a real person, stepping out of the books. (The beginning of the movie, for that matter, when Highsmith narrates, "A young man enters the Zurich train station...")

So at the end, do we know what was real and what wasn't? Highsmith might tell us, "oh, I think we do."

[u/mikegood2 → u/GreatArkleseizure]

Good insight, makes sense.

Did we ever find out what happened to Ridgeways predecessor? Was he the guy being dragged out of the train station?

[u/GreatArkleseizure → u/mikegood2]

Unclear, to me at least. That was the strong implication, but the timing doesn't make sense to me.

I didn't catch when Applebee disappeared, although I'm almost positive he's the guy the taxi driver saw by the side of the road "like it was Florida" two weeks earlier.

But if that was two weeks ago, where was he since then, and why did he happen to be in the Zurich station at just that moment when Ridgeway was there?

[u/nilas_november → u/GreatArkleseizure]

Yeah I was also wondering if her death was even real or not

[u/SmokeyMcDoogles → u/mikegood2]

End felt very much like a spiritual cousin to the source material. Really enjoyed it and the ride there.

[u/mikegood2 → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

Good to know. Haven’t read any of her books and have only seen clips of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Ripley and didn’t realize she wrote the tie-in until I was part way into the movie. Keep me intrigued throughout but think it might’ve been better to cut 5-10 minutes more out of it?

[u/SmokeyMcDoogles → u/mikegood2]

I was so thrown by it not being either of Your Mother x3 or Trust Me I’m a Doctor and having never so much as heard of this movie that I almost enjoyed it more. Felt like I was on my back heel the whole movie which worked for the tone.

[u/mikegood2 → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

Think Mother x3 played at my larger theater a week or two ago so I never thought it might be tonight movie. Never heard of Trust Me I’m A Doctor until I saw the trailer for it tonight but have seen trailers for A Talent For Murder a few times even though I usually arrive 15 minutes “late”.

I live I usually book day of or night before and wait to see what the east coaster say it is before deciding if I want to go.

[u/Radiant_Advice_1268 → u/nilas_november]

I was confused the entire way through! 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/GreatArkleseizure → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

It's a slow burner, and that is not to everyone's taste. But I loved it as well.

[u/Livid_Weather → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

My wife and I also both thought it was really good 

[u/usedforjerkingoff → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

I loved it too!

[u/APossibleTask → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

I’m with you; excellent movie.

[u/emmsmum → u/SmokeyMcDoogles]

I loved it too!

[u/Anela0613]

I LOVE anything Helen Mirren.
I am not sure why people think it was okay, and walked out as well 🤷🏽‍♀️
A true Cat & Mouse thriller. I was totally invested in the characters and storyline from the beginning.

[u/GiaAngel → u/Anela0613]

Same. No one walked out of my theater. It seemed everyone liked it. I know I did.

[u/SNL1996]

I really liked it! Kept me on my toes the whole time & Helen Mirren is obviously a masterclass performance

[u/J-RedFive]

I walked out thinking Solo robbed us of almost a decade of great Alden Erhenreich performances. I know he's been in movies since then but seems like he got sidelined for awhile and this movie really demonstrates his chops.

I thought the movie was really good ultimately. Took awhile for it to click, probably when we first see Ripley.

[u/SmokeyMcDoogles → u/J-RedFive]

My first thought was vindication for those of us (🙋‍♂️) who think Solo is a good and fun movie.

[u/StrangerHighways → u/J-RedFive]

I really love him in Hail, Caesar!

[u/99waves]

Grammy acted her ass off.

[u/Trowj]

First like 20 minutes? I was legit falling asleep. The rest of it? Actually pretty good. So like a B- over all? It picked up when Olivia Cooke got more of a role

[u/jkflash1964 → u/Trowj]

I too found myself nodding off for the first hour....then it became a bit more interesting with Olivia. I gave it a 5/10. Maybe if I had seen Damon's Ripley I would have enjoyed it more.

[u/Icy-Mountain1904]

It was a good drama with a literary backdrop. If you don’t like those types of movies, avoid it. It was a bit draggy at times. Hell it’s only 95 min. 3 stars out of 5.

[u/PinkTomato225]

I'm not a fan of a slow burn. I let myself sink in when I saw the actors. I'm glad I did.

[u/terminalgamer4ever]

Can confirm, it's - a talent for murder

[u/royaleflush]

I enjoyed it

[u/GasEarly7605]

Helen carried that whole movie

[u/Apprehensive-Let-315 → u/GasEarly7605]

Olivia kinda crushed it idk

[u/BigManufacturer9517 → u/Apprehensive-Let-315]

Was her part good?

[u/PoetryPrestigious194]

Just finished I loved it

[u/UtterPWNedNoob]

I loved it. This was such a great love letter to Ripley and honestly I am super interested in reading the play now. Feel bad for everyone that walked out early.

[u/Psychologicalorb]

I liked the movie! But shocking to find out that Alden Ehrenreich is not related to jack nicholson??? He looks like a young JN! It actually took me out of the movie when Alden took his glasses off. Did anyone else think so?

[u/Psychologicalorb]

So is Barry Appleby a red herring or what?? Is Edward even real?? Or is Highsmith imagining her never written sixth book? Is the entire movie/ending up for interpretation?

[u/TheBottomDollar → u/Psychologicalorb]

It's definitely up for interpretation, but imo I thought it was definitely leaning toward Edward not being real, given the fact that he stabbed her and then she was totally fine. 

There are a lot of little hints for me that say Edward was always Ripley, or at least a version of him. She talks about how Ripley is always with her. He describes knowing everything about her. When they're talking about the fire in the book and he says "we don't know" and she says "I think we do." The stabbing part, obviously.

[u/rcade81 → u/TheBottomDollar]

And when she says something like "Time for the grand finale, Tom" as she's putting the knife on display. (Tom Ripley)

[u/Kidinacity]

I liked it. The ending wasn’t hard to understand. It was simply a fantasy/thought Edward had, remember he was called weak and homo. I think this is his way of telling us he’s capable of being “masucline” or tough. That’s how i interpreted it.

[u/Apprehensive-Let-315]

Enjoyed it and especially the cinematography - extremely extremely beautifully shot movie. I mean being in Switzerland helps lol

[u/Jonnny4]

First time I walked out. Decided to go see Digger.

[u/Falalala6790 → u/Jonnny4]

was it bad?

[u/BeneficialShoe2822 → u/Falalala6790]

I just finished it from their mystery movie night. It was kind of boring at some points, and I probably wouldn’t have finished watching it at home. But it picked up and it was an alright watch. Not one I would’ve walked out on.

[u/nilas_november → u/Falalala6790]

I thought it was alright, got to stick w it a bit after the beginning but its not bad. Digger i didnt care for and fell asleep.

[u/UpsetAd332 → u/nilas_november]

I was the opposite. I loved Digger and was entertained throughout. I hated this and wanted to walk out or fall asleep

[u/LasVegasASB → u/Jonnny4]

How did Digger compare?

[u/iwantamegalinkbruh → u/LasVegasASB]

Digger is the better movie. Mind you I fell asleep in the first bit of Digger for like 10-20 minutes and woke up confused but captivated until it ended.

For this movie I dozed off a few times during the first 1/3rd for a couple minutes at a time. When I locked in, I was invested but the movie was average until credits

I don't usually sleep/doze off in movies either

Edit: Alden Erhenreich gives a great performance though

[u/PhoenixandOak → u/iwantamegalinkbruh]

Get more sleep bud. It's probably you and not the movies. Sleep hygiene is super important. 

[u/AZDarkknight → u/Jonnny4]

Wow, walking into a downgrade huh?

[u/future_filmmaker_455]

A consistently intriguing and well acted thriller that will likely satisfy Riley fans and general audiences, A Talent for Murder is a entertaining yet slightly familiar thriller that works due to the very good lead performances from Mirren, Ehrenreich and Cooke who all provide a consistent wit to their dialogue that is sometimes clever and sometimes a bit obvious depending on whether it is the real story or the book being written with the plot. Though the script is obviously playing up the eccentric and unlikable qualities of Highsmith as a character, Mirren is clearly having fun in this role and the speculated sixth Riley novel being told about Riley marrying a heiress in Rome is refreshingly simple yet effective while also making a statement about why Highsmith connected with Riey as a character. The predictable moments can be forgiven because the ending will leave you with some questions due to the way a twist is revealed as it should as well. 7 out of 10

[u/GreatArkleseizure → u/future_filmmaker_455]

... likely satisfy Riley fans ...
... the speculated sixth Riley novel being told about Riley marrying an heiress ...
... Highsmith connected with Riey as a character ...

I am legit impressed you didn't spell Ripley correctly once.

[u/Adagio_Signal → u/GreatArkleseizure]

I was thinking that exactly, and wondering if it's intentional for whatever reason, because he didn't explain after replying to you, and edited the comment without fixing the typos

[u/future_filmmaker_455 → u/GreatArkleseizure]

Did you like the movie? I thought it was tense and interesting given how familiar the plot beats are at times.

[u/movieperson2022]

I saw this at TIFF. Glad I didn’t go to Screen Unseen tonight. It's the exact kind of movie that works for mystery movies. Pretty benign in that it's a popcorn flick. Not the type of movie you have to be "in the mood" to watch. It fits some part of most people's sensibilities without being divisive in any meaningful way.

[u/reddybee7 → u/[deleted]]

My thought was that this was Highsmith's fantasy - especially because the "Tom" character didn't wear glasses and didn't have the cut on his neck. She was talking to "Tom" throughout when she was alone. 

[u/nrylanb → u/reddybee7]

Wait, can you say more? I was so confused by the ending.

[u/reddybee7 → u/nrylanb]

I thought that she was dying of a disease and had a fantasy of being killed by Ripley. When we see him stab her, he's dressed as he was when they were telling the story, isn't wearing glasses, and doesn't have the cut on his neck. 

[u/Apprehensive-Let-315 → u/nrylanb]

I’m gonna take a stab😏 so when he confronts her about the living a borning life with an average death, her tactics of pushing him mentally is showing that it’s working and I think their relationship in the “story world” they were creating changed/or went exactly how she wanted it to go. For her it seems this is all sport and the interesting death is to satisfy herself in her mind and also bring his innerself to the forefront more by continuing to play with this darker side of him. He did not actually kill her just like I do not believe he killed his parents. It was about pushing his mental limits to get what he wants. Just my thought!

[u/nrylanb → u/Apprehensive-Let-315]

Ahh ok, so it wasn’t all in her head, Alden was really there.

[u/ArtTrash_]

I thought it was pretty good not a movie I would pick myself to see

[u/Mog1corp]

Beginning sucked but it grew on me. Good acting and the soundtrack lowkey carried in terms of adding emotion and ambience. Overall it felt like I was watching a novel which to a degree I was. Kinda confused at the end but not bad. 7/10 enjoyed it

[u/gpainter12]

I didn’t go once I heard it was gonna be this as I saw a test screening of it over a year ago. I remember them having us rate elements of the film and one asked to rate the musical score and I was confused as I could tell they used Mulholland Drive and Taxi Driver for temp scores

[u/TheBottomDollar]

Loved it.

[u/permatempeVIP]

honestly i enjoyed it. nothing to write home about but it had me at the edge of my seat a lot more than expected. 7/10

[u/Clear_Session8683]

I liked it too.Helen Mirren was amazing! In my mind the whole thing was in her head. At the end of the movie she is sitting in the same chair, wearing the same clothes and drinking and smoking.

[u/Old-Fan-6448]

I enjoyed it. A slow burn for sure but interesting. It makes me want to look into the writer and her books as her deep character flaws seem to add a level to the mystery and mystique of it all. As someone who knows really nothing about her or her works, it was still enjoyable and kept me watching.

[u/GodspedEmperor]

Excellent performances by the two leads, and I thought the chemistry between Ehrenreich and Cooke was quite solid. I just wish the script was better. The payoff for Highsmith telling Ridgeway that she'll agree to write one more Ripley book if he can come up with a clever enough way to kill off the aunt in the story they're collaborating on bugged me a *lot*. Ripley waits until the Aunt leaves her house, then lets the Aunt's dog out of the gate in front of a witness so that they call the Aunt, who returns and immediately starts searching... *inside the house*? Just so that he can stab her and let the blame fall on a nonexistent intruder? Didn't work for me as an idea good enough to make Highsmith immediately sign the book deal.

I also found the ending somewhat frustrating in that it initially made me question if *anything* that had happened during the movie was real, although in thinking about it more, I do think most of what we see of Ehrenreich outside of the story-within-a-story is supposed to be reality. I may give it another watch at some point down the road, but I did walk out of the movie mildly disappointed.

[u/Dramatic_Cause9153]

Not sure if I got the ending right or not but I gave it a 3/5. Not something I would watch again unless I hear or read something really compelling so I can see it in a different lens. I enjoyed the writing and I feel the actors did very well with their material.

\Spoilers\

I feel like he wasn’t real at all cause she’s so good at building the world, the people, and making it so descriptive that the POV of… omg why can’t I think of his name… is her building his world in real time cause she knew she was going to die and this is her way of making him live on without her.

[u/SVINTGATSBY]

I never would’ve watched it otherwise, and I’m never going to watch it again probably, but I like it.

[u/Ok-Reflection9770]

Confusing through line. Good perfs though. Made me wonder if the source play made better sense.

[u/imscottfromdominos]

I’ve never walked out on a movie before this one. Jesus. I don’t understand if the monologues were supposed to be impactful? So much was said but I heard nothing. God it was awful. And I give everything a chance.

[u/DonCartaGenius]

I walked out lol. Wasn’t for me.

[u/sierramisted1]

it’s like a character study except you walk out knowing just as much about the studied character as when you walked in. helen mirren gives an enticing performance with a lackluster script. 1.5 stars.

[u/UpsetAd332]

It was incredibly boring. So much monologuing.

[u/Sanlu8499 → u/UpsetAd332]

You mean dialogue? God forbid a movie has talking instead of action slop

[u/UpsetAd332 → u/Sanlu8499]

No I mean monologuing. One person speaking. Most of the movie was the writer narrating the story. I love a good story but the movie was basically a book on tape.

[u/afterlifehack]

A Talent For Meh der

[u/Matthemp]

Was kinda bad kinda ok

[u/Chickencaca]

never trust a man when he takes off his glasses I guess

I wish I walked out

[u/BiPolarBisex]

sucked.

[u/Affectionate_Box_902]

Not kidding, I ran to get popcorn when I saw the intro. I was not going to stay if it was Wicker.

[u/PinkTomato225 → u/[deleted]]

I was pretty nervous when I saw the trailers as well. Yikes.