Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Mopkin TheHopkin The American Friend is an interesting film. The film follows Jonathan, a family man with a blood pathogen, a frame maker, and a quiet and thoughtful fellow. He is recruited by the Mafia in France to assassinate two people, and the Mafia use his blood disease to dupe him into the jobs with the promise of money for his wife and son. The story takes Jonathan from Germany to Paris to complete the jobs, and his friend and handler, Tom, acts as his guardian angel during the more difficult moments.This movie is a mixed bag for me. Their are a lot of really great things about the film. The film is colourful, with wonderful establishing shots, use of costumes, and really great direction and shooting, which make the film really gorgeous. It manages to look almost surreal at times, and the use of head shots, close ups and panning to establishing what is happening make up for a lack of dialogue in the film. The acting is good, with Dennis Hopper as Tom being particularly interesting, and Bruno Ganz doing a quiet and reserved Jonathan well. The film has some tense moments as well, as the assassination jobs move forward, with Jonathan, the amateur assassin, tailing his prey, making mistakes, and having to improvise. The domestic scenes are also poignant, sweet, and entertaining. Much of this film is quite solid, with brooding and tense moments mixed with quiet and surreal to create a very tense and dream-like atmosphere.However, I had some reservations about this film. The story and plot were quite dull. I have watched slow burners many times, with films like Le Samourai being one of my favourites in the film noir line. The American Friend felt much slower. There is little dialogue at all, and much of the film features Jonathan trying to figure out what to do, with long shots of his expressions, him contemplating and so on. This felt very weak to me, and I struggled to hold my attention a few times. There were also a few confusing plot points. The various side characters in the film appear, at least at the beginning, to be part of a wider plot that may be revealed. This is never capitalized on, however. These characters flutter through hither thither, but there is no pay off, no explanation, to why we are seeing these set ups. Why do we need to go back to New York with Tom? Jonathan will never know anything that happens there.All in all, a bit of a mixed bag for me, but one I consider worth watching. It is a slow burning film to be sure, with a plot that I would approach calling weak, and a tad dull. Even so, the colourful and innovative shooting and direction, the good acting, and the tension and surreal aspects of the film, lend a hand to make it a watchable film. Easy to recommend for fans of film noir, or more "art house" affair. 6/10

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Der amerikanische Freund" or "The American Friend" is a German movie from almost 40 years ago. Director Wim Wenders adapted the Patricia Highsmith novel for his screenplay here. Highsmith has been in talks recently again because she also wrote the base material for the pretty popular new movie "Carol". But back to this one. I may be a bit biased as I like Wim Wenders and I like lead actor Bruno Ganz even more. Do not be confused by the cast list here. Dennis Hopper may be listed first because of his big name, but this film is Ganz' character's story and Hopper is only a major supporting player, just like Lisa Kreuzer, who plays the female protagonist in this 2-hour film.I personally felt the movie never achieved real greatness or extraordinarily memorable moments and scenes, but it was still an atmospheric watch from start to finish. It was pretty tense, very suspenseful and I also liked the locations they chose for the scenes. Apart from that, Ganz carries this film strongly from start to finish and he also physically looks exactly like he would fit into an American film of this genre. My favorite scene was probably when he commits the first murder, but runs away despite being instructed to stay calm and not act differently. The train scenes afterward were very good too. Then again, this should not come as a surprise as everybody who knows Ganz knows that he is a truly gifted character actor.All in all, I recommend the watch. People who appreciate the likes of "The Untouchables", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The French Connection" or "The Conversation" can certainly check this film out and they will not be disappointed. I personally also had to think of "Breaking Bad" on one or two occasions. A man who is sure that he dies gets deeper and deeper into the abyss of crime in attempts to get money for his family. Of course, he was already a criminal before things got serious in contrast to Walter White. But maybe others do not see this parody. Maybe it is just me. Anyway, thumbs up for "The American Friend". I recommend it, even if it is not my favorite from the director. That would still be another Wenders-Ganz collaboration "Der Himmel über Berlin".

lp88 It's tempting to say that Hopper always looks out of place in his films (the ones before he specializes in villains), acting shifty and looking unsettled. Here's no exception but you get perhaps one of his finest performances which really does do the Ripley character justice. Bruno Ganz steals the show though: a pleasure to watch his character develop. Wenders packs a lot of style in but keeps to the Highsmith plotting flowing ensuring several top quality set-pieces. The cameos from several directors will keep you entertained and the music is quite beguiling. All in all, a cross between the original BBC Tinker Tailor series and Melville's Le Samourai (with a dash of Hitchcock).

Terrell-4 If you're thinking about a man who just wants to lead the good life, it's hard to beat that charming sociopath, Tom Ripley. Conscience is just a vestigial organ in Ripley's psychological anatomy. He enjoys the things money can buy. Just don't get between Ripley and what he wants, or underestimate his sense of due respect. His appreciation of amusing irony can cut your life short, or make it unpleasant, or both. Der Amerikanische Freund (The American Friend), a German film by Wim Wenders based on Patricia Highsmith's Ripley's Game, gives us a couple of ironic pleasures of our own. First, if you're into the enjoyment of corrupting a good man by turning him into an assassin, the story is hard to beat. Second, we're able to compare this same story brought to the film by two interesting directors and to observe differences in approach and style. This version by Wenders came out in 1977 and featured Dennis Hopper as Ripley. Ripley's Game, directed by Liliana Cavani, came out in 2002 and featured John Malkovich as Ripley. Both films have merit. Both, unfortunately, sank almost without a trace. Seems a lot of people just don't have a taste for irony or the corruption of the innocent. Jonathan Zimmermann (Bruno Ganz) is a happily married man who is a picture framer. He briefly meets Tom Ripley at an auction but refuses to shake his hand. Ripley's reputation has preceded him. Jonathan has a serious blood disease and then learns he has little time left. He desperately wants to make sure his wife and young son, both of whom he loves deeply, are provided for when he dies. (Dougray Scott plays the same character, renamed Jonathan Trevanny, in Ripley's Game.) Then Zimmermann gets an offer for a great deal of money. All he has to do is murder a bad guy or two. One way or another, Tom Ripley is involved, And things go wrong. The worst is that Jonathan and Tom develop a kind of friendship that should be morally repugnant if you're a good guy like Jonathan. For all us good guys in the audience, however, the situation is so well set up that all that follows is fascinating, creepy and unnervingly satisfying. Don't count on happy endings. Both versions of Highsmith's novels are well worth seeing. I'd give the edge to Ripley's Game for two reasons. Wenders approaches the story, in my view, too deliberately and auteurishly. Cavani gets us going more efficiently and keeps up the pace. Since both directors wrote their own screenplays, I think Cavani simply came up with a better-crafted movie. Part of that impression is due to the actor who plays Ripley. Ripley's style, his amusement, his lack of a moral code is central, and John Malkovich is better at this kind of cool approach than Dennis Hopper. Plus, I'll admit, I've never much cared for Hopper's acting or his voice. Bruno Ganz and Dougray Scott are first rate. Ganz was and is one of Germany's most acclaimed actors. Nearly 26 years after The American Friend, Ganz starred as Adolph Hitler in Downfall (Der Untergang). It was a mesmerizing performance. One of Scott's best roles was Tom Jericho in Enigma. This comparison business comes down to the happy chore, if you're interested, of watching both movies, enjoying them, and observing the differences, especially in the portrayals of Tom Ripley. While Ripley's Game is definitely John Malkovich's movie, The American Friend comes very close to being Bruno Ganz's. You won't be disappointed in either movie; you'll just probably enjoy one a little more than the other. Wenders also slips in some inside jokes, something that, for me, is akin to condescension. The idea that a clever few are enjoying the thrill of knowing something not available to most is juvenile. Among the pleasures for the insiders is Wenders casting in small parts as crooks a number of directors. You may or may not enjoy seeing Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller on their last legs.