I think Alain Delon really proved here that he's a great actor showing us many facettes of an insecure immoral person, having a peek into the world of the rich, but never really fitting into it. Usually, I would like a handsome, dandyish villain, but he portrayed the character also sleazy and corrupt, that I disliked him almost from the beginning, specially when he dressed in Phillipe's chlothes and kissed his image in the mirror. He is pathetic from the beginning by trying to earn easy money. He simply does not fit into Phillipe's world of the rich and he seems really clumsy and insecure in his attempts to do so. I think he was surprised himself that he made it so far.
Not that I liked Phillipe and his spoiled behavior, his toying with other people, but that was him and the others could have chosen to leave him. Instead, they stayed around him for whatever reason...mainly his money. I doubt that Marge could have loved such a guy, unless she was a masochist. Tom admired and hated him at the same time and Freddy belonged to Philippe's world of superficial rich people, enjoying themselves and he was Philippe's friend and not just after his money.
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caller85071
12 years ago
I think witnessing the treatment that Ripley suffers at the hand of Phillip early in the film sets people up to be partly on his side. Like modestyblaise mentioned, Delon did a brilliant job at displaying different aspects of Ripley's character. One minute he seems to be completely inept and getting taken advantage by those more privileged, and the next he is a cold-blooded killer who is one step ahead and everyone else.
Some people may have been against him from the start, while others were intrigued and rooting for the character to keep eluding the police.
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