10 Film & TV Serial Killers We Can't Help But Love

4. Tom Ripley - Plein Soleil/The Talented Mr Ripley

Tom Ripley is an undeniably odd bird. He's a master forger and professional moocher who is hired by a wealthy American to convince his son to toe the line and come home. And for part of the film, we don't really see any murderous tendencies on his part, just an overwhelming desire to be liked. Even after he kills Philippe (or Dickie, as he's known in Plein Soleil's slightly lesser remake The Talented Mr Ripley), it feels less like the premeditated murder we usually see from serial killers, and more the crime of a man who has been humiliated and is seeking revenge. That is, until he takes over Philippe's identity. A master mimic, he steals the late man's entire life, and doesn't hesitate to kill again. What makes Tom Ripley so interesting is that in a lot of ways, he's a riddle wrapped around an enigma. He spends so much of his time pretending to be someone else, that we never actually figure out who Tom Ripley really is.