The Talented Mr. Ripley

Though drawing from the same Patricia Highsmith text as René Clément's Purple Noon and Wim Wenders' The American Friend, Anthony Minghella's highly anticipated follow-up to The English Patient - about a master swindler who takes over the identity of a rich brat whom he becomes obsessed with - features an Oscar-nominated script that is more faithful to the source material while also inserting an extra psychosexual dimension to the titular character. The result is an elegant, seductive and tense thriller about identity and the art of deception with memorably drawn and devastatingly tragic characters. Matt Damon is excellent in his transformative performance as Ripley, but it's Jude Law's charming, yet toxic performance as the reckless, arrogant and sometimes cunning playboy that truly steals the show.

BAFTA Awards: Best Supporting Actor

Berlin Film Festival: In Competition