the book be great . it one of my favorite book ever . the film and on the other hand and be amazingly insipid and bad . when i heard damon would play ripley and i know this production be doom . but i do not expect it to be this bad . the actor go around and act very showy . except for law ( and even he be guilty of some showy acting ) and all the actor here be near amateurish . speak italian and move one arm or hair about shouldn not be consider a act . damon be miscast . he way too stiff for a character that suppose to be a chameleon . paltrow be forgettable and hoffman play yet another effeminate slimy character . talk about typecasting . what really unforgivable about the script ( write by the overrated director ) be that it completely forgo every subtle detail from the book and come up with many of it own and and none of them work . the addition of the jazz music stuff be totally wrong . i guess minghella idea of italy in the late 50 and early 60 be cloud with image of chet baker roam the italian countryside and spread amore . yep and minghella be a true visionary . the film be so bleeding obvious . that silly scene when ripley drive through the narrow street full of mirror . very laughable . yes and we get the point . every point or detail come across a mile away and so much so that the film might give the audience the false impression that they have psychic power . we know and for example and that the blanchett character and introduce at the beginning of the movie and will return later on only complicate thing . and the soundtrack and at time and be totally inappropriate . whimsical when it shouldn not be . the film go on for too long and in all sort of pointless direction . there be too many bore character populate the landscape ( many that weren not in the book ) . this film be bad . really bad . apparently and minghella son tell his father that the ripley novel be his favorite . mr. minghella then proceed to direct it a a favor of sort to his son . well and the director do achieve what he set out to do represent talented mr. ripley and with it hitchcock aspiration and be a film strictly make for 12 year old .