Purple Noon

Amazing French Film from 1960
Much deeper and penetrating thriller than "The Talented Mr Ripley" put together so many years later. Delon is remarkably compelling, so much so he dwarfs the silly rich folks surrounding him and ends up being essentially a symbol of rebellion rather than outright murderousness. It is a Have-nots versus the Haves in a most alluring manner. The ending is different than the later movie most of us have seen. Gorgeous and worrisome.

Captivating
Captivating is what a young Alan Delon is in this film. By looking at his innocent face, watching his boyish mannerisms, hearing his insecurity, and feeling his jealousy, one would never guess the sinister diabolic monster that lives inside - not that his "best friend" wasn't asking for it. His remarkable ability to hide his insidiousness was lost on those around him which is what makes the film so great. There is something about a writer's ability to keep his antagonist one step ahead and the director does a superb job of it. There is only one other film we've ever seen that has the same tight quality of suspense and that is "Out of Time" with Denzel Washington. Here Delon appears to have pulled off the perfect crime until that great scene near the end. This film makes The Talented Mr. Ripley play like the grade-school, formula-written, star-studded-dud, Hollywood remake that it is. A must see for French noir and caper aficionados.

Brilliant French Version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley"
In this 1960 French film, Alain Delon mesmerizes as the attractive and urbanely savage Ripley who Matt Damon embodied so perfectly in the American film three decades or so later. Watching both films close together is fascinating: directorial, acting and casting choices make sense in both but bring interesting shifts in perspective. If you miss Jude Law when he is off-screen in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (no knock on Matt Damon who chooses to play Ripley as a nebbishy wannabe), you won't feel that same sensation here. Alain Delon is riveting.

If you've never seen Alain Delon on screen before, you will be thunderstruck by the power of his beauty and the intensities that lie beneath that gorgeous surface.

Click to Editorial Reviews