Year: 1977
Director: Wim Wenders
Country: West Germany
Language(s): German, English, French
Can Wim Wenders, director of extraordinary films like Pina, Paris Texas and Wingers of Desire, do no wrong? His brilliance becomes even clearer when watching his ambitious film The American Friend. It is a German adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith's famous novel Ripley's Game. You may have heard of the French adaptation Purple Noon, though likely the 1999 American version The Talented Mr. Ripley is the one you remember best. However Wender's film easily tops both of those.
The story revolves around Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) who has a deal with an art forger. The forger creates paintings, Tom sells them. However another criminal business associate wants Tom to go in for an even riskier enterprise: murder. Tom suggests his associate ask a local picture framer instead. That man has a fatal disease and has a wife and kid that surely he wouldn't want to leave penniless. Let this picture framer be a hit man, and no one will suspect.
While the mad Dennis Hopper is given top billing, he's actually more of a minor background character in Wenders' film. While he clearly has the most interesting performance, there is, perhaps wisely, never an incredibly long scene with him. The camera is mostly on the fine Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, who plays a weak dying character that is manipulated into murder. This provides an interesting moral dilemma, if you knew you were dying would you stick to your moral code? Or would you do the absolute best to make sure your family is taken care of after you die?
The American Friend is an incredibly suspenseful German neo-noir that, with great intelligence, focuses much more on character development than plot. Released during the height of Star Wars, Wenders proves that you do not need to rely on special effects technology to make a great film. This film is absolutely hypnotic, entrancing you from beginning to end. The score is ominous and haunting, the pacing is somewhat slow yet efficient.
In conclusion, while The American Friend may not be Wenders best work, I would certainly recommend it as an introduction to his wonderful filmography. Though the film does take a while to get moving, when it does it's an exhilarating ride that only stops when the movie ends. However when it ends you will likely spend a lot of time reflecting in this film, and perhaps re-watching it soon after. Praise it! 4.5/5
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