Born American, author Patricia Highsmith spent most of her life abroad. Her childhood was one of despair and disdain. Highsmith’s mother told her that she tried to have her aborted. She went to New York City, began her writing career, and never looked back. Sales of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley shot Highsmith straight to the top of the literary food chain, but she was better appreciated in Europe than in the U.S. It’s fair to see why she left for greener pastures.
Joanna Murray-Smith’s play, Switzerland, takes place during Highsmith’s reclusive final years. The play garnered enough acclaim that it’s now a film directed by Anton Corbijn (A Most Wanted Man, Control). Murray-Smith adapts the screenplay about the famously priggish author squaring off against a corporate lackey sent to get her to write one more Ripley book. Who better to play the thorny Highsmith than Oscar-winning Dame Helen Mirren?
Highsmith is enjoying retirement. Her Swiss surroundings give her the kind of comfort only prestige and money can buy. Her publishers want her to earn more of it, but Highsmith feels no need to revisit her most famous creation, Tom Ripley. So, New York sends Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) to procure another Ripley story. Once Edward arrives, Highsmith tells him to kick rocks. But his talent for flattery convinces her to let him stay. After a lengthy description of her vast knowledge of colourless/tasteless poisons, Highsmith offers Edward breakfast. Edward is distressed, to say the least. The last representative his employer sent disappeared after meeting Highsmith.
The schlubby, poorly dressed, empty slate that is Edward poses an opportunity for Highsmith to mould him into something more interesting. She bargains with Edward: come up with a premise with me, and I’ll write your book. On his way to Highsmith’s home, Edward met Clementine (Olivia Cooke) on the train. Clementine is visiting a relative (an older, wealthy relative) in hopes of acquiring her inheritance early. Edward isn’t as clever or original as his brainstorming partner, so he includes his conversation as the basis for Highsmith’s new Ripley caper.
The account we’re watching is fictionalized, but Mirren is having a ball regardless. There’s glee in her eyes as she watches Edward squirm at the sight of poison and daggers in her home. I would be uncomfortable too if Highsmith said something unhinged while clutching a dagger before disappearing into a dark hallway. As the Ripley avatar in their collaboration, Ehrenreich’s Edward takes on an edge. He’s not beholden to Highsmith; he has agency and charisma that the publishing employee could only dream of. When caught in a lie the next morning, Edward simply plays it off.
The dialogue is top-notch, watching Mirren and Ehrenreich volley insult after insult at each other. But with a limited setting and only three actors, A Talent for Murder does stall when Mirren isn’t on screen. Clementine’s narrative needs more depth. Cooke and Ehrenreich’s scenes are entertaining but lack plausibility. If a woman said, “surprise me,” she doesn’t mean sneak into my room with a knife and leer menacingly.
Corbijn’s deliberate staging contributes to an uneasy atmosphere where Mirren can get the viewer’s blood going with a few jump-scares. Not bad for a character clad mostly in sweaters. The imaginative sequences look straight out of a giallo film, which genre film lovers will appreciate.
The film has high-minded kills and thrills. The impact here more closely resembles a paperback thriller you’d find in the airplane seat pocket: Entertaining for the moment, but no real staying power. Not that that should be held against A Talent for Murder. Resident Evil and Verity did well for themselves with similarly fleeting escapism.
Mirren portrays Highsmith as a surgeon twisting the knife in anyone who has the displeasure of sharing her company. She delivers cruel insults dryly. Only a hint of a grin passes across her face. Highsmith was a recluse for a reason. Her acerbic taunts and insults will make several viewers blush. The alcohol and the cigarettes aren’t just for show. She really does want everyone around her to keep their distance.
Yet, for the presence of Highsmith’s most popular amoral/sympathetic serial killer, the film feels afraid to delve into horror. The cast is top-notch, but I suspect the film’s smaller budget held it back. A Talent for Murder is tailor-made for older audiences looking for a surprising mystery. Leaning into the psychological thriller aspects may not have been worth losing older viewers. The same audience that will keep this movie alive in arthouse cineplexes.
A cat-and-mouse game reminiscent of Sleuth, A Talent for Murder succeeds because of its two capable leads. Mirren takes a turn leaning into the irascible character with all of the vitriol you would expect, temporarily making you forget this actress is almost beloved. Ehrenreich, best known as young Han Solo, sheds any preconceived notions you have about his skills. Maybe he will get to play Tom Ripley again. If you’re hoping for an entertaining mystery, you’re in good (albeit murderous) hands.
