The Talented Mr. Ripley

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, The Talented Mr. Ripley is available in Australia on ABC iview, and in the US on Paramount Plus Premium and YouTube TV right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 4,178 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Matt Damon anchors it, but the writing does the real work. Start it on ABC iview whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Talented Mr. Ripley keeps coming up in conversation. At its heart, The Talented Mr. Ripley understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. Shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1999. What makes The Talented Mr. Ripley hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find The Talented Mr. Ripley proves them wrong. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Matt Damon anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.