Screen legend Helen Mirren playing the legendary author Patricia Highsmith is more than enough to get me into a theater, regardless of how good the film itself might be. Luckily for us, Anton Corbijn’s A Talent for Murder proves to be a damn fun time in its own right. There’s an undeniable thrill in watching an actor of Mirren’s caliber inhabit such a fascinating literary figure, and the film wisely plays within her wheelhouse of mystery and intrigue.
The film begins with a young man, Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) who works for the publisher of Highsmith’s books. After traveling from New York all the way to Switzerland, he attempts to persuade Highsmith to write one final installment for her Tom Ripley series. After much reluctance, Highsmith tasks Ridgeway with coming up with a compelling death for the proposed novel – from here, the film spins from a compelling blend of fact and fiction, as well as drama and thrills.
Without spoiling too much, I found the way the film attempts to create a Highsmith/Ripley adaptation/spin off within the confines of being a film about Highsmith to be fairly compelling. This gives Alden Ehrenich, who is one of the very best actors working today, a lot of good material to work off of; he really nails the dual role here, and has dynamite chemistry with the always wonderful Olivia Cooke.
Helen Mirren as Highsmith works just as great as you’d expect it would. She nails the mannerisms and tone to a tea, while also showcasing some natural chemistry with Ehrenreich. I appreciated how the film saved space to make her human, despite her crass nature.
Corbijn blends a lot of his best elements, like working in a largely thriller space with a majority of his films, and translates it nicely here for a very engaging experience. If I had to nitpick, I’d only say that the emotional beats it goes for towards the end don’t quite click as well as the mystery/thriller elements. But when a film is spinning these plates in such an entertaining way, it’s hard to be upset.
All in all, A Talent for Murder might not be breaking much new ground, but it is a compelling showcase for Corbijn’s best sensibilities as a filmmaker who has largely played in the thriller playground – and here, he gives Ehrenreich and Mirren a lot of room to have fun together. For this alone it’s well worth a watch.
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