Netflix's new thriller Ripley landed on our screens on Thursday and viewers have wasted no time getting stuck into the series.
Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the eight-parter is set in 1960s New York and stars Andrew Scott in the titular role of Tom Ripley, a streetwise opportunist who's hired by a wealthy industrialist to retrieve his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), from Italy.
Soon, Ripley has wheedled his way into Dickie's life, while the latter's girlfriend Marge (Dakota Fanning) grows more suspicious. What follows is a deadly game of lies and deceit. Watch the trailer below.
Taking to social media, viewers heaped praise on the new series, with many binging multiple episodes in one sitting. One person wrote: "The new miniseries #Ripley starring Andrew Scott on Netflix is so good!! Highly recommend!!" while another commented: "Binged the first 5 eps tonight… couldn't take my eyes off the screen…stunningly shot, deliciously noir, #AndrewScott is utterly spellbinding, as I knew he would be. Mesmerising from the start."
A third person compared the show to the 1999 adaptation, which starred Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. "Watching #Ripley on @netlfix and this is giving me all of the noir vibes Matt Damon never could. It's so good," they penned.
Other viewers couldn't help but comment on the stunning cinematography of the series, which is filmed in black and white. One fan wrote: "Watching #Ripley and I love the way it's photographed. Stunning b&w. It's a bold creative choice when b&w [equals] old to so many, instead of a thematic and aesthetic one. More, please."
A second person remarked: "Two episodes in and @netflix's #Ripley is sheer class. Love the languorous pace, the b&w cinematography and measured performances," while another added: "#Ripley #AndrewScott beautifully shot, beautifully directed, beautifully acted, just wow. Can Andrew surpass this delectable level of talent? The atmosphere delivered by the black and white cinematography was genius!"
Many also applauded Andrew's performance as master manipulator Tom Ripley, with one person writing: "Started #Ripley on @netflix. Andrew Scott is one of my favourite actors to watch because his character work is always so precise and layered. It's a treat to watch him do his thing!"
A second penned: "Andrew Scott is superb so far in #Ripley, such a talented & versatile actor who is insanely brilliant at what he does."
© Courtesy of NetflixDirector Steven Zaillian described Ripley as "a petty criminal who feels he deserves better than his meager circumstances", telling Netflix that Andrew is the perfect fit for the role because "he has the range to play the many personas of Ripley".
Speaking about his character on Radio 4's Today programme, Andrew said: "I think he's an anti-hero, that's what I think he is, and I think it's up to me to make the audience imagine what it’s like to be Tom Ripley, not to be a victim of Tom Ripley. That's what we should feel like.
"We should empathise with him, and I don't necessarily think that that's the job of an antagonist or a villain. Tom is the protagonist in this, and so for that reason I just don't see him in that way."
Ripley is available to stream on Netflix.
