The American Friend
(Der Amerikanische Freund)

Screening on Film

Directed by Wim Wenders.
With Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer.
West Germany /France, 1976, 35mm, color, 127 min.
English and German with English subtitles.

International intrigue, art and homicide, and film and contemporary culture form the matrix of themes that underpin Wenders's brilliant quasi-thriller, loosely adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel Ripley's Game. A terminally ill picture framer in Hamburg (Ganz) reluctantly agrees to become a hit man to ensure the future of his soon-to-be widow (Kreuzer). Duplicity and ambiguity reign as he crosses paths with double-crossing killers (including filmmaker Sam Fuller) and shady American art dealer Tom Ripley, played by Dennis Hopper in cowboy gear.