Summary

• Ripley series rehabilitates Highsmith's reputation with gripping storyline, stylish cinematography, and 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Deep Water, an adaptation of Highsmith's work with Affleck, falls short due to crucial differences and lukewarm critical response.
• Affleck's missed opportunity in Highsmith adaptations, including a failed Strangers on a Train remake, contrasts with success in Gone Girl.

Netflix's thriller series Ripley is not only proving a hit with critics in its own right, but is also helping to rehabilitate the reputation of a failed 2022 Ben Affleck thriller. Starring Andrew Scott, the series is a retelling of Patricia Highsmith's acclaimed 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley – a story that has been adapted for the screen on several previous occasions. However, while the parallels between Ripley, Highsmith's original novel, and earlier versions are obvious, the series also has more subtle connections to Affleck's much-maligned movie.

Although Netflix's Ripley contains several differences from the original book, the story follows the novel's basic premise. Ripley's stylish black and white cinematography and gripping story has helped secure it an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes – a score that both encourages viewers and helps redeem a previous failed Highsmith adaptation.

Deep Water Was The Last Big Patricia Highsmith Book Adaptation Before Ripley

Although Ripley's success is helping to secure Highsmith's reputation for the next generation, the last major adaptation of her work arguably had the opposite effect. Starring Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck, Deep Water is a 2022 erotic thriller that follows the same basic premise as Highsmith's eponymous novel. De Armas and Affleck appear as husband and wife Vic and Melinda Van Allen, whose complex relationship quickly leads to murder. Yet despite the stories' similarities, Deep Water was poorly received by critics, scoring just 35% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Prior to Deep Water, Highsmith adaptations had an impressive cinematic reputation – thanks to major projects like the 1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley, Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, and the Oscar-winning Carol (based on her 1952 novel The Price of Salt). However, after Deep Water's lukewarm critical response, it's fair to say that Highsmith's novels took a reputational hit. Now that Ripley has reestablished the writer's stories, the mistakes made in Deep Water have been somewhat redeemed.

Why Ben Affleck & Ana De Armas' Deep Water Movie Had Such Negative Reviews

Even though Deep Water shared a premise and several major details with Highsmith's novel, the movie had many crucial differences – contributing to its negative reception. For instance, in the novel, Vic's characterization as a murderer is made fairly clear from the outset, with much of the tension arising from dramatic irony. By contrast, Affleck's version of Vic is a somewhat bumbling character, who often accidentally kills his victims rather than being a diabolical schemer. The result is a much less compelling and believable mystery.

Besides the plot changes, critics cited several other issues with Deep Water's adaptation. Many reviewers compared it unfavorably to previous movies by director Adrian Lyne, whose resume includes the likes of Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal. As the Rotten Tomatoes consensus explains, "Viewers desperately seeking a new erotic thriller might find Deep Water worth a dip, but it's far from director Adrian Lyne's best work," highlighting its lack of favorability compared to earlier efforts. While Deep Water was not completely panned, there's no doubt that it represents a missed opportunity – given Highsmith's reputation.

Ben Affleck Nearly Starred In Another Patricia Highsmith Movie Adaptation (7 Years Before Deep Water)

As it stands, Deep Water is the only time Ben Affleck has starred in a Patricia Highsmith adaptation. However, the Argo and Batman V. Superman star nearly featured in another Highsmith movie, having been slated to appear in David Fincher's proposed Strangers on a Train remake. According to a Deadline report from 2015, the updated version would have seen Affleck star as a movie star who is given a lift on a private plane by a mysterious stranger – an encounter that leads to murder.

Despite the intriguing premise and the previous success of the source material, Fincher's Strangers on a Train remake never happened. However, Affleck's suitability for the role is obvious, thanks to his previous appearance in the director's production of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. The success of the 2014 movie suggests that Affleck's failure with Deep Water was an aberration within the erotic thriller genre, rather than the norm, and that Strangers on a Train could still have succeeded. Nevertheless, the fact that Deep Water failed critically made it essential for Ripley to rehabilitate Patricia Highsmith's reputation – something it. has succeeded in doing.

Source: Deadline, Rotten Tomatoes