Andrew Scott’s 2024 Show Proves His Moriarty Wasn’t the Biggest TV Villain Yet
BBC’s Sherlock was Andrew Scott’s biggest breakthrough on TV, but the most villainous one had yet to come in a remake of Matt Damon’s 1999 crime drama.
We all might be in fact missing Andrew Scott’s James Moriarty in BBC’s hit drama series Sherlock, but the actor’s true fans know that Scott’s most malevolent and even more profound role came years after Sherlock’s overwhelming success.
Back in 2024, the actor produced and starred in one of the highly anticipated psychological thriller shows directed by Schindler’s List’s writer Steven Zaillian and based on Patricia Highsmith’s hit 1955 crime drama novel.
Despite the book already having a pretty intimidating movie adaptation starring Matt Damon, Scott’s portrayal of the same character went to a completely different level which made the story all the way more intriguing and eerie.
Andrew Scott Went Full Moriarty in Netflix’s ‘Ripley’
- On Rotten Tomatoes, Ripley has scores of 86% and 81% from critics and audiences
- On IMDb, the show is rated 8.1/10
It’s fair to say James Moriarty was a major threat even to a sharp-minded genius like Sherlock, but things could have been way worse for the latter had he encountered Tom Ripley instead of his actual enemy.
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, the show follows Scott’s shrewd con-man Tom Ripley who gets a chance to reach all the heights possible when wealthy businessman Herbert Greenleaf asks Tom to travel to Italy and convince his carefree son Dickie to come back home.
Initially determined to do what he was told, Tom soon discovers that Dickie’s luxurious and leisurely lifestyle in Europe is something one shouldn’t change for New York’s business meetings.
The unlikely friendship between the two starts growing and is about to cause a series of horrifying events started by a murder.
Some Fans, However, Liked Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley Better
- On Rotten Tomatoes, The Talented Mr. Ripley has scores of 85% and 80% from critics and viewers
- On IMDb, the movie rates 7.4/10
Zaillian’s show came 25 years after the original novel’s previous famous adaptation, a 1999 psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley that starred Matt Damon in the leading role.
Despite Ripley’s determination to bring down the entire story’s tones even more drastically with episodes shot in black and white, for some this didn’t work out the same way as it was expected.
“Ripley is so painful to watch. I loved the movie and the books. I love slow burns. But not this. The show just feels so hollow. I don't think any of the actors are compelling to watch. Ripley has one facial expression which is almost comical since all the characters aren't put off by it. Dakota Fanning sounds like she's reciting her lines not acting”, Redditor allthecoffeesDP revealed in a show-related thread.
“It’s awful. I’m so disappointed because I love the Minghella film and Andrew Scott. The cinematography is amazing but everything else is inferior to the earlier film, like much worse on nearly all fronts. Scott isn’t great. He’s miscast and at least 15 years too old. And he’s creepy, not obsessed and insecure like Damon was”, czetamom agreed.
Where to Watch ‘Ripley’?
The show is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
