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[Editor’s note: This review was originally published on September 14, 2026 at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Bleecker Street will release the film in theaters on Friday, October 23.]
In recent years, moviegoers have fallen in love with mystery films again, thanks to the formidable talents of Rian Johnson and Kenneth Branagh, among others. It’s no surprise that the classic mystery subgenre continues to stake its claim in the world of cinema. There’s nothing more fun than a ride that, when executed well, ends cleanly and smartly. this Who did the act? this Here’s how they did it: this This is why.
Iconic novelist Patricia Highsmith was much more interested in the last part of that particular answer. why. Tom Ripley’s creator wasn’t really interested in untangling the tangle. WHO — We always knew who it was! — But what made him (or her other, less popular creations) tick? Why is this like this? And Highsmith’s own compulsion to build twisted, twisted characters is given fresh life in Anton Corbijn’s quirky “Talent for Murder.” Adapted by playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, who first composed parts of the novel for her play “Switzerland.”
Drawing on minimal real facts, such as Highsmith’s, a prickly client who spent his final years holed up in a Swiss house they call “the bunker,” Murray-Smith develops his own story of psychological trauma. just maybeActual murder. Starring the wonderfully fearsome Dame Helen Mirren as the fictional Highsmith, the film opens with a young editor clearly out of his league (or is he?) heading into the bunker in question. To the picky customer in question.
In reality, Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) is a young second editor sent to Switzerland to distill Highsmith’s final Ripley novel (the film was shot on location, and it shows). As for the first story, you’ll hear more about it along the way, but suffice to say their meeting didn’t end well. Highsmith’s publisher is trying to get one more Ripley hit from the author, but what happens if Edward can’t get her to sign a new contract? It might be better for that person not to come back. It’s safe to assume that Edward, a bit disheveled, a bit shy, and clearly out of place, might not be the right man for the job.
Highsmith (Mirren’s portrayal of the author may be fictional, but it’s still so powerful that calling her out on it seems wrong). Patricia, But I’ll try) feels the same way. Still, it’s hard to imagine how anyone would be able to impress Patricia if she rattles around her bunker (perfectly designed by Dimitri Capuani), smokes a lot, and frequently grimaces at her typewriter. This doesn’t mean that Patricia doesn’t know Edward, expects him, or sees through him. Mirren’s Patricia intermittently narrates the story, suggesting that she is creating Edward as much as she is receiving him. Why not both?
But Edward’s eccentric charm is not without some admirers, such as the seductive young Clementine (Olivia Cooke), whom he meets on a train to Switzerland. (Yes, many Highsmith devotees will no doubt be pointing to the screen upon first contact. Better yet, point to “Strangers on a Train.”) They meet and reunite cutely, giving Ehrenreich room to build an impressively multifaceted character who seems to adapt to whoever he’s dealing with.
But what about the scene with Edward and Patricia together? They’re the best, and the movie is at its strongest when these two try to catch each other, developing stories to entertain and scare, and testing their weaknesses. Patricia’s house is stocked with all sorts of deadly items. The pantry is lined with poison, the office walls are decorated with knives and guns, and there seems to be something wrong with the aquarium full of snails. But Edward, with his tragic backstory and iron will, doesn’t give up so easily. He will buy her a knife. He will eat the breakfast he made next to a bottle of poison. He will catch her.
Perhaps Patricia misjudged him? Or did we?
Corbijn is happy to show us what to look for (e.g. Edward’s bag, the man yelling at the airport, a knife or two, Clementine’s luggage tag, etc.) and then make us look again with fresh eyes. As Edward defeats Patricia’s resistance, the two begin to create a new story together for Ripley. And while they do so, we see the same story play out on screen, with Ehrenreich deftly slipping into the role of Ripley and Cooke recast in his mark. This isn’t just a clever way to solve a new meta mystery. It also allows Ehrenreich to really show off his work as the film runs away with its numerous, ever-changing characters.
While Murray-Smith’s script keeps the growing storyline steady – Edward and Patricia working, Edward and Clementine playing, and Tom and “Clementine” having fun throughout Rome – the film loses some steam when it strays too far from the two-handed nature that drives the first half. Watching Ehrenreich slip into Tom Ripley’s skin is a hoot, but seeing him face off against Mirren is more edifying. The movie doesn’t provide neat answers for many of its characters and plot points, but perhaps that’s the true joy of the mystery. mysteryAnd an ongoing obsession with how it all fits together. Maybe not, but it’s definitely fun to watch.
Grade: B
‘The Talent for Murder’ premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Bleecker Street is scheduled to release in theaters on Friday, October 23rd.