More recently, the 2024 Netflix series Ripley , directed by Steven Zaillian and starring Andrew Scott, comes closest to capturing the literary Monsieur . Shot in stark black and white, Zaillian’s Ripley is not a talented mimic—he is a patient spider. There is no warmth, no romance. There is only the relentless, quiet pursuit of a chair at a quiet French table. Tom Ripley remains one of the few literary serial killers who does not live in a dungeon. He lives in a sunlit villa. He is the nightmare of the polite neighbor. Patricia Highsmith understood that the most terrifying predator is not the one who lurks in the alley, but the one who invites you to dinner, refills your wine glass, and remembers your wife’s name.
This is the essence of Monsieur Ripley : the domestication of evil. He kills the way a businessman closes a merger—efficiently, without passion, and only when it is necessary to protect the comfort of his home. The title Monsieur is critical. Tom Ripley despises the raw, capitalistic hustle of America. He craves European aesthetics, manners, and impunity. In France, particularly in Highsmith’s adopted homeland, class is armor. A well-dressed man in a fine château is above suspicion. monsieur ripley
For forty years, Tom Ripley killed, lied, and thrived across five novels. He was never caught. Not because he was lucky, but because he learned to become Monsieur . And society loves a gentleman. This article is dedicated to the memory of Patricia Highsmith, who knew that the devil doesn’t wear Prada—he wears a custom-tailored suit from Charvet, and he lives two towns over. More recently, the 2024 Netflix series Ripley ,