Thomas Ripley, better known as Tom, accepts an unusual job offer that leads him to Italy and changes his life forever. Andrew Scott plays Tom.
Tom’s life in New York is full of struggles. He forges documents and commits petty scams to make money, but it is never enough.
His parents died in a boating accident when he was young. Dottie, his aunt who raised him, sometimes helps him financially but never without criticizing him.
Tom is then found by a private detective, whom a rich man named Herbert Greenleaf has hired. After a scam gone wrong, he decides to meet Herbert.
Herbert believes that Tom is a friend of his son, Richard. He wants Tom to convince Richard to come back from Italy, for which he will pay Tom.
Tom does not even know Richard, but as he does whatever he can to make money, he takes this job opportunity, not depending on his aunt is just an added benefit.
Tom’s obsession with Richard
Tom meets Richard in Italy and convinces him that they have met in New York, which leads to Richard inviting him home.
Soon after, Tom admits to Richard that his father sent him to bring him back to New York, but he has no intention of doing so now that he has seen Atrani.
Richard starts trusting Tom enough to ask him to stay with him at his summer house, and Tom readily agrees. With Richard, Tom gets to enjoy a luxurious life like never before.
Tom becomes obsessed with Richard and his lifestyle. While Tom has struggled to make ends meet, Richard never has to worry about money and spends freely.
Tom starts adopting Richard’s mannerisms, dressing like him, and integrating himself into his life. He grows jealous of anyone who is close to Richard.
Eventually, Richard decides to cut Tom out of his life after discovering that he has been lying to his father about successfully convincing Richard to return home.
However, Tom does not take it well, and he kills Richard on a boat in San Remo. He takes Richard’s possessions, disposes of his body in the sea, and sinks the boat.
Getting away with his crimes
After killing Richard, Tom returns to Atrani and lies to Richard’s girlfriend, Marge, about Richard choosing to stay in Rome for a while.
He sells everything that Richard owns, including his boat, and moves to Rome, where he lives as Richard Greenleaf, after forging his passport.
He gains full access to Richard’s trust fund, which affords him the life he has always wanted. He keeps writing letters to Richard’s family and Marge to make them believe that Richard is alive.
However, he avoids Marge as much as he can to continue living as Richard, but his lies cannot stay hidden forever.
Marge, as well as Freddie, Richard’s friend, become suspicious of Tom. It does not take Freddie long to figure out that something is amiss, which leads to Tom killing him as well.
Freddie’s murder gets Inspector Ravini involved, who suspects Tom, or rather Richard, considering that Tom has assumed Richard’s identity.
Ravini also comes to believe that Tom Ripley is dead and that Richard has killed him. As Tom becomes more entangled in his lies, he devises another plan.
He moves to Venice, adopts a disguise, and meets Ravini as Tom, proving that Tom Ripley is alive.
Additionally, before moving, he writes a letter to his landlady as Richard, making it seem like Richard had been planning to take his own life.
He also leads the hotel clerk, the last person to see him, to believe that Richard, feeling depressed, left for Tunisia.
Once everyone believes that Richard is dead, Tom is able to evade punishment for his crime, with everyone convinced that they were wrong about him being a bad person.
Tom gets to be part of Venice’s high society and live the luxurious life that was once Richard’s, having successfully taken his place and money.
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