‘A Talent for Murder’ Review: Helen Mirren Is a Deliciously Bitter Patricia Highsmith in a Sleek Literary Noir That Doesn’t Quite Draw Blood

Helen Mirren stars as Patricia Highsmith in the film "A Talent for Murder," directed by Anton Corbijn. The movie is based on a play by Joanna Murray-Smith and premiered at TIFF. Mirren's character, the famed novelist, is persuaded by her literary agent, Edward, played by Alden Ehrenreich, to write another novel in her series about Tom Ripley, an amoral con artist and serial killer.

As the story unfolds, Edward becomes embroiled in Highsmith's plan to commit the perfect murder. According to Variety, Mirren brings a welcome intensity to her portrayal of Highsmith. IndieWire describes the film as a two-hander with real bite.

The film also stars Olivia Cooke and is based on a play called "Switzerland." Ehrenreich has discussed the challenge of making his character, Edward, feel grounded while exhibiting some of Ripley's callous tendencies, as reported by TheWrap.

Brief written by urgent.news from Variety, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter, TheWrap — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.