Plein soleil

In 1955, American author Patricia Highsmith published the brooding crime novel The Talented Mr Ripley about Tom Ripley, an unscrupulous man with many talents that serve him very well in his criminal activities. Four more novels starring Ripley were subsequently published. The stories lent themselves very well to film adaptation; Ripley was played by Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich and Matt Damon over the years. However, the first film adaptation was back in 1960 starring Alain Delon, a role that marked his final breakthrough. Romy Schneider also appears in this film, albeit in a tiny role. Nino Rota wrote the film score.

The shady Tom Ripley is approached by playboy Philippe Greenleaf's father for a job: he is to visit Philippe in Italy and take him back to the US. Philippe does not want to go back and so the father does not want to pay Ripley for his services. Not the smartest thing to do.