Purple Noon

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Purple Noon

PG-13

1960

1h 55m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) travels to Italy to visit his playboy friend Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and Philippe's new fiancée, Marge Duval (Marie Laforêt). What Philippe doesn't know is that his father has paid Tom to convince his son to abandon Europe and return to his family responsibilities in San Francisco. But when Philippe's family cuts off their funding of Tom's extravagant lifestyle during his covert mission, he discovers another way to maintain his newfound standard of living.

Critics Consensus

The talented Tom Ripley is brought to enigmatic life on the screen in Purple Noon, an exquisite thriller wherein the murderous social climber is embodied by an unnerving Alain Delon.

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Peter John Dyer

Sight & Sound

02/11/2020

This kind of thriller calls for finesse, perception and a knife-edged narrative drive. Plein soleil looks too often instead like an over-illustrated travel brochure.

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Ryan Gilbey

Independent (UK)

12/15/2018

The tension is tantalisingly controlled, while the sight of the young Alain Delon languishing shirtless on a yacht provides a textbook definition of cool, and might be said to alone warrant the price of admission.

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Joseph Jon Lanthier

Slant Magazine

01/10/2014

2.5/4

Its mechanical aesthetic suggests that rather than having to sublimate what remorse Tom Ripley might feel toward his actions, he simply doesn't experience any.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Aug 12

5/10

Clément adopts a Mediterranean aesthetic that adds a certain fullness to the visual layer, but it lacks psychological intrigue and, unfortunately, remains drowned in its own pretensions about murder, identity and social class. [Full review in Spanish]

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

08/25/2024

3.5/4

A decadent treat.

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Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

07/30/2019

There is some good stuff in the first half hour... [But] the film degenerates to cops and robbers.

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bob C

@RT46426964 May 13

A really good French movie with Delon on top form as the best screen Ripley, almost wrecked by inappropriate ending.

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Sam N

@RT61650855 Jun 25

Clément keeps the surface dazzling while menace hums below. Decaë shoots blue seas, razor-crease suits and airy interiors so crisp you miss the knife. Delon’s Ripley moves with feline poise; Ronet’s louche playboy spots the teeth too late. A few slack spells stop it from greatness, yet beside the glossy remakes this stays cooler, leaner and more unsettling. If Ripley ever needed a passport mugshot, this would be it.

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Vitor O

@RT19027067 03/15/2025

This excellent picture made Alain Delon a star and still remains the definitive movie version of the "Talented Mr. Ripley" novel by Patricia Highsmith. Shot in location in places such as Roma and Ischia, the plot is as interesting as the scenery is beautiful to watch.

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Mr. D

@Mr.Doge 08/23/2024

As a Gen-Z I must say, this beats almost every film nowadays in mood. Alain Delon was a magnificent actor, may he Rest In Piece.

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Mark D

@theDaye 01/30/2024

An excellent thriller that keeps you guessing. Alain Delon is, as always, wonderful. This is the story of Tom Ripley from the Patricia Highsmith book.

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Regina P

@RT45936356 10/09/2023

I liked this, but I enjoyed "Talented Mr. Ripley" more. I haven't read the book, so I don't know which version is true to the original story. This is radically different from the version in 1998. I actually enjoyed comparing the 2 versions and asking which version of events was more (a) believable and (b) entertaining. No final verdict. But this was a good version of the story.

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René Clément

Director

Alain Delon

Tom Ripley

Marie Laforêt

Marge Duval

Maurice Ronet

Philippe Greenleaf

Elvire Popesco

Mrs. Popova

Erno Crisa

Riccordi

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Synopsis

Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) travels to Italy to visit his playboy friend Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and Philippe's new fiancée, Marge Duval (Marie Laforêt). What Philippe doesn't know is that his father has paid Tom to convince his son to abandon Europe and return to his family responsibilities in San Francisco. But when Philippe's family cuts off their funding of Tom's extravagant lifestyle during his covert mission, he discovers another way to maintain his newfound standard of living.

Director: René Clément
Producer: Raymond Hakim, Robert Hakim, Goffredo Lombardo
Screenwriter: René Clément, Paul Gégauff, Patricia Highsmith
Distributor: Miramax Home Entertainment [us], Miramax Zoë, Times Film Corporation, Miramax Films, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $663.5K
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Stereo