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The American Friend

The American Friend

1977
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 8m
Jonathan Zimmermann, a picture framer in Hamburg is diagnosed as having leukemia. Ripley, an American art dealer who deals in forgeries... (imdb)
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The American Friend

1977
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 8m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 65.14% from 738 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(738)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
66
28th
Not especially interesting, but not boring, either. I thought the first hour could have been trimmed down to a half-hour without losing much.
Rated 07 Jan 2009
90
94th
I really liked the movie. The atmosphere of suspense and nostalgia are present all the time. Bruno Ganz is great in the role of Jonathan, as well as Dennis Hoper (Ripley) ... the film works well across the web of murder and internal conflicts (for both, Jonathan and Ripley) ... But for the film work for those who read the book, is best forget the Ripley's Highsmith ... there are striking differences between them.
Rated 30 Aug 2011
92
86th
Stunningly directed thriller sets up its pieces very slowly and deliberately (perhaps too much so) for the first third, but it emerges as an exciting, unsettling experience. Hopper is perfect as an enigmatic, subtly sinister Ripley, and Ganz matches him as the tortured hero. Oddball touches by Wenders especially in the colour scheme and eccentric camera angles, makes this a fascinating film, and very much rooted in the art house cinema of the 70s. Far superior to the 90s-00s Ripley films.
Rated 11 Aug 2012
67
20th
Cool setting i.e. time and place, but it doesn't go anywhere and I mean anywhere. Try it and if you aren't loving the ride feel free to bail cause the ending last 3rd wimps out.
Rated 16 Sep 2012
70
57th
An 'artsier' take on a Highsmith novel than, say, Hitchock's "Stranger on a Train". Interesting visual approach (some stunning set pieces), interesting character development (intriguing interpretations of the novel's characters), interesting performances (both Hopper and Ganz are strong in their portrayals). 'Interesting', however, doesn't immediately equal consistently engrossing or satisfying. While I enjoyed Wenders' vision and visuals, I was somewhat underwhelmed by his storytelling skills.
Rated 21 May 2013
70
44th
The various interesting disparate elements - the comedy, the thriller moments, the arthouse stylings, the marital drama - never really coalesced for me. I enjoyed the film but overall was left feeling a tad unsatisfied.
Rated 23 Jan 2014
85
90th
Very slow at first, but once it gets going it's an excellent, intense, colorfully shot, and very European neo-noir. Some scenes have a Melville-like mood to them, especially in the long assassination scene in the metro, with Wenders melancholic existentialism from 'Paris, Texas' and 'Im Lauf der Zeit' creeping in, with Hopper and Ganz showing intense, beautiful chemistry together.
Rated 17 Jun 2017
83
73rd
Slowly drew me in, with its calm and collected pacing that's helped even by the more restrained than usual Hopper, and it hits hard and successfully during the quietly exciting moments. This is a moody and meditative assassin film, plus the dreary imagery that's often punctuated by neon lighting is delightfully '70s.
Rated 22 Oct 2018
95
82nd
This may be slow moving, but it's incredibly well made, and credits the audience with intelligence, refusing to spoon-feed us. The result makes for a very shrewd, satisfying thriller.
Rated 07 Nov 2020
90
90th
Atmosphere heavy, with beautiful, absorbing shots. The irony of a man who's life is based around framing other's art, and yet desperate to find any deeper connection from his picture, painted surroundings. Although time is the true menace for his choices, Hopper's character is the precise contrast that such a protagonist needs to carry on. Perhaps the most beautiful, thriller, assassination film (if that can be put together) for it's time.
Rated 16 Apr 2023
88
85th
Hopper is great here, bringing a quiet and cooky creepiness that matches the tone of the movie. Ganz nails the slow slide of his character, and Wenders has a great sense of pacing and the ability to create an overwhelming atmosphere of dread alongside moments of bleak levity.
Rated 06 May 2007
80
68th
Charmingly bizarre little movie
Rated 04 Sep 2009
86
83rd
Tribute to the American gangster film helped introduce Wenders to American moviegoers. Hopper is the typical Wenders protagonist, a strange man in a strange land looking for a connection. Great, creepy thriller.
Rated 09 Dec 2009
71
50th
Wenders has developed a cult following for this film about people operating outside the law.
Rated 18 Feb 2010
69
58th
Heavy on style, light on story, Wim Wender's adaption of Patricia Highsmith's novel Ripley's Game is a color-noir with an unsettling mood. The Ripley character (played by Dennis Hopper) doesn't make sense, and there isn't much invested in the plight of the stooge (a nice performance from Bruno Ganz) around whom the convoluted events of the narrative take place. The film's major asset is Robby Muller's color photography, which brings out some weird color tones for expressive effect.
Rated 09 Mar 2010
84
60th
I remember liking this when I saw it thirty-odd years ago. I remember it for being suspenseful at times, overlong and slow in its pacing, and featuring good performances from Ganz and Hopper. It also has a nice little acting part for director Sam Fuller.
Rated 21 Nov 2010
5
80th
Contains an unusual atmosphere that refuses to leave my mind.
Rated 07 Nov 2011
72
32nd
For a Ripley film he seems to be pretty much a catalyst for another story, and it doesn't help that Hopper doesn't much fit the role. Still, Ganz gives an excellent performance and if the film fully committed to making him the centre it would help. As it is we get moods and reactions but not much insight, particularly into the major turning points in the film. The film gets points for style and creating a mood, but the elements don't fit together all that well.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
55
10th
#908
Rated 17 Mar 2012
80
37th
Maybe not as interesting as I expected it to be, but there are some absolutely brilliant sequences. This is one of those Dennis Hopper performances where he grabs the film by the balls and doesn't let go. Bruno Ganz is very good too.
Rated 20 Aug 2016
80
85th
One of my favourite fictional characters, Tom Ripley, played by the legendary Dennis Hopper. Ganz and Hopper work well together, and the comedic moments nicely broke up the darker thrills.
Rated 20 Nov 2016
70
51st
Ganz is great, beautiful color palette. Very very dry though. Hopper's Ripley is worlds apart from Matt Damon's or Alain Delon's; a blatantly seedy "ugly American" in a cowboy hat and bellbottoms.
Rated 02 Apr 2017
75
12th
Mit einem fruend wie dem, der Feinde braucht ....
Rated 19 Oct 2018
6
40th
Very art house thriller.
Rated 14 Feb 2019
80
87th
Amazing atmosphere(s) - and so much color for a noir!
Rated 17 Feb 2019
70
76th
Very deliberately shot. Slow at first. Great wardrobe. I'll have to rewatch to catch the nuances. Fav scene: train murder.
Rated 02 May 2019
9
87th
Perdede, Kadıköy Sineması.
Rated 29 Aug 2019
93
80th
Another interesting movie of WW. It is like turning another dimension in the second half of the movie. However It is mysterical that additional dimension is from the past (childhood) or from the future. We know Wim Wenders are interested abstract world design and characters such as death angel. And Zimmermann's melancholic friend is capturing him deeply between life and death, between past and future. In addition this, His wife is another beautiful detail which deserve attention in scenario.
Rated 08 Jan 2020
83
86th
A beautiful film that sucks you in during the details that many other films would simply skip or cut apart, namely the scene where Ganz is getting ready to use the small cloth over his hand before calling someone.
Rated 26 Jan 2020
60
35th
A "fall-from-grace" character study that evokes noir with its broody atmosphere. The first thirty minutes were pretty choppy and really didn't feel like the short scenes were setting much up. It starts to click after that (although there are still a lot of odd short shots throughout the rest of the movie). I would prefer a little more explanation in these types of movies; the lack of that moves it into the "best for philosophers and film school viewers" category even though it's a decent film.
Rated 12 Aug 2020
55
39th
It's offbeat, but it often moves at a snail's pace.
Rated 01 Oct 2021
42
23rd
I will give it points for keeping me guessing. But I don't know if that is even a compliment, as character motivations are difficult to decipher. It's stylish and confident, but bordering on a chore to sit through. And it feels like the whole production is trying to highlight a few key, tense sequences, but ultimately the suspensefulness of those sequences is really average.
Rated 27 Jul 2022
45
46th
okay movie
Rated 26 Aug 2022
85
92nd
bela atmosfera. curtindo ver os wim dessa época, foi um cineasta que mesmo amando alguns filmes eu não procurei tanto
Rated 14 Dec 2022
65
22nd
Whatever
Rated 14 Aug 2023
74
57th
And that's why you should be polite to strangers.
Rated 19 Sep 2023
72
77th
Good film that could have been great, but the ending was disappointing. Bruno Ganz is terrific.
Rated 19 Nov 2023
65
34th
It felt like I was missing something, but it turns out I wasn't. I dunno.
Rated 15 Feb 2024
90
88th
Wim Wenders adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley's Game" (with some elements from the previous Ripley novel "Ripley Under Ground" thrown in for good measure) was his most ambitious film to date and only his second in colour. It's a very spare thriller, leaving out a lot of unnecessary detail like who Blain and the assassination targets are. It's a great example of how much one can do just with character and atmosphere.

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