The Talented Mr. Ripley

Tom also ends up adopting Dickie's identity and heads off to Rome, where he lives a dual life — as Dickie, who is now romancing another expatriate, Meredith Logue (Cate Blanchett), and as Tom, who is trying to reassure Marge about the well-being of her missing fiance.

Already wracked with guilt over the murder, Tom has his hands full trying to keep the two women from meeting up, as well as dealing with the threat of Freddie, who's come to town looking for his pal.

That sounds like a lot of material to cover, but amazingly, that's only about the first 75 minutes of the rich tapestry Minghella has woven.

In fact, you can count this among his very best work. Though the film is extremely suspenseful, even horrifying at times, a lot of that is balanced out by some very dark humor and witty dialogue.

It also features exemplary production design and cinematography, as well as a score by Gabriel Yared that may turn even the most ardent of jazz haters into fans.

However, the real selling point is Damon, who gives the performance of his career.

That's not to slight any members of the very talented supporting cast (especially Law and Hall, who are especially good), but Damon's subtle, nuanced — and brave — turn here has only been hinted at before in his work in previous movies.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" is rated R for violent bludgeonings, profanity, gore, male nudity (including a fleeting full-frontal shot) and simulated sex (handled very discreetly).