"A Talent for Murder" REVIEW

Published on 10/7/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Anton Corbijn 

Cast: Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke, Julia Stevenson, etc. 

Plot: A mysterious young man from a New York publisher is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final installment of the Ripley anthology. 

REVIEW 

Color me surprised by this film, by its twisty narrative where nothing is ever as it seems, but also by how much I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Based around real-life author Patricia Highsmith of the Ripley book series fame, I don't think it ruins the film to know going into it that this is far from a true story—it's built around a real-life person but is very much influenced by the nature and tone of the Ripley books themselves in taking its own liberty to form several narrative identities that intertwine and twist amongst each other. It's a story, on top of a story, which is probably another version of a story on top of that. Trust me, within the film it's not as confusing as I'm making it sound—and even if it was, who doesn't love a prickly plot full of surprises and suspense? The film isn't a murder mystery, but it sure has a murderous tone of playful danger within its unpredictability and biting character dynamics that explore the identities and masks that we wear. "A Talent for Murder" is a very enjoyable, worthwhile 2026 gem. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Helen Mirren's performance. I can't remember the last performance from Helen Mirren that I've seen where she appears to be having more fun than she clearly did with this role. She's prickly, brutish as this maniuplative and hardened crafter of literary schemes. Many of her line deliveries alone had my auidence cracking up with laughter. I'd say her performance is borderline campy at times, but to say that feels like an uncertain use of that already overused word as Mirren knows exactly what tone she wants to strike with this strong, hilarious performance. 

• Alden Ehrenreich's performance. Ehrenreich is an actor I've admired for many years now and I'm more than happy to celebrate whenever he gets a meaty role and delivers a standout performance. He gives an unpredictable, dynamic, memorable performance. 

• The script. A very clever screenplay that efficiently changes shape throughout. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• By the end of the film, I felt that it was missing a strong thematic punch to come full circle with what it'd been exploring throughout most of the film. It was light exploration, but still. 

RATING

7/10

You should watch it, buddy!