Product: The American Friend [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 4.0
This `friend' exhibits an underlying menace that is sure to stop your breath...
`Der Amerikanische Freund' is dark and mysterious and ultimately rewarding, even if at times it is a tad confusing and ambiguous. Loosely adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel `Ripley's Game', `Der Amerikanische Freund' is a story of suspense and murder. Patricia Highsmith did for the world of literature what Alfred Hitchcock did for the world of cinema (could be why they made the perfect pairing when Hitchcock adapted Highsmith's masterful novel `Strangers on a Train' for the big-screen) and so it's obvious when watching any adaptation of one of her novels that the viewer is in for a moody and tense piece. In actuality I have not read any of her Ripley novels so I can't say just how loosely this is adapted, but one thing is for sure; director Wim Wenders definitely understood the mood Highsmith would have wanted to capture.The film follows a picture framer named Jonathan Zimmermann who is dying of a rare blood disease. He's panicky about leaving behind his beautiful wife Marianne and his young son Daniel. When he first meets American Tom Ripley at an art auction he is rude and disgruntled. He doesn't like Ripley's character. The film shifts gears when Jonathan is approached by Raoul Minot, a man who needs a favor. He offers Zimmermann a substantial amount of money if he murders someone for him. The details are sketchy and even when the credits begin to roll the audience has plenty of questions about what really happened, but the details really become null and void when one focuses on what Wenders wants us to focus on.The film is a character study more than anything else; a study of desperation and guilt and the ultimate love and loyalty. Bruno Ganz is marvelous as Jonathan Zimmermann and really brings this man to life. We see the many stages of his emotional breakdown; his confidence diminishes to fear and paranoia until he finally loses it. Ganz is an actor I really want to see more of. I remember back a few years when I saw him chew up the screen as Adolf Hitler in `Der Untergang' and I immediately wanted to research his catalogue of films but until recently hadn't got around to it. After watching his intense performance here though I will make an even more constructive effort to get my hands on more Ganz.Dennis Hopper stars as Tom Ripley, and it is here that I am left a tad unimpressed. Like I mentioned, I have not read any of Highsmith's `Ripley' novels. I have read a few of her other novels and have been meaning to get my hands on the Ripley's but I just have not had the time. So because of that I cannot tell who does a better job of fleshing out Ripley, Hopper or Matt Damon. What I can say though is that the two actors paint completely different characters. In my personal opinion, Damon triumphs effortlessly. What I appreciated about Damon was that he created a character that was cunning and manipulative but was drenched in self-loathing and insecurities; so much so that he came across as likable and sympathetic, thus adding to his mysterious draw on the people around him. Hopper plays Ripley like a cold hearted psychopath. It's apparent from the moment he steps on the screen that he is gruff and cold. Thankfully this film focuses on Zimmermann and thus Hopper is really not on the screen all that much.In the end I recommend `Der Amerikanische Freund'. It is a strong study of human nature and it creates a mood of suspense even when nothing suspenseful is taking place. The subway murder scene alone is a perfect example of flawless filmmaking, a scene that is slow and brooding and steals the audience's heartbeats one by one. The film is not as polished or as masterfully constructed as `The Talented Mr. Ripley' but it delivers the goods regardless. While the ending is a tad over-the-top and a little confusing I still felt rewarded after turning the film off. Don't expect to understand everything right off the bat, and there are some facets of the plot that you may never fully understand (I guess it's time to read that novel) but Wenders and company create a satisfying thriller that gets under your skin and into your head.