Product: The American Friend [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 4.0
German Film Noir
Wim Wenders always directs top notch films, and this one is no exception. It is an unusual film noir. It is not in black and white, it takes place in Hamburg in the 1970s, and it lacks some of the typical noirish thrills. There is, however, much implicit fear in this film, as the main German character, Jonathan Zimmermann is manipulated by rival international groups like a pawn on a chessboard. Although not an overtly political film, it does (inadvertently or otherwise) reflect the beliefs of some West Germans in the 1970s that their country was dominated, culturally and otherwise, by the United States: the film contrasts the German master craftsman with the American materialist; the "weak" West German with the strong, but evil, American.The original working title of this film was "Framed," a double-entendre which relates both to Zimmermann's work and the manner in which he is set up. Dennis Hopper gives the performance of his career as the malevolent, paranoid, psychopathic "American Friend," who is set off by Zimmermann's curtness toward him at an art auction. But his performance is dwarfed by that of Bruno Ganz, who carries the movie as Zimmermann, a man suffering from a blood disease who lacks the ability to swim against the whirlpool of events sucking him ever downward. The contrast of characters moves the plot along, and the harbor city of Hamburg provides unusual, but often dismal, scenery. This film is well worth watching.