The American Friend | Ismael Alonso, Gérard Blain

The American Friend | Ismael Alonso, Gérard Blain | Strangers on a Train

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The American Friend

	The American Friend Ismael Alonso, Gérard Blain New Yorker Video, 1998 average customer review:based on 24 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A thriller that's nearly devoid of thrills? That's not a complaint--it's what makes The American Friend one of the most stylish (and, at the time, most expensive) films to emerge from the New German Cinema of the 1970s. Loosely adapting Patricia Highsmith's mystery novel Ripley's Game, director Wim Wenders shifted priority from plotting to character, emphasizing a richly colorful and atmospheric approach to locations in Hamburg, where a picture-framer (Bruno Ganz) is lured into an assassination scheme involving a mysterious Frenchman (Gerard Blain) and the titular American friend, Tom Ripley (played by Dennis Hopper, a far cry from Matt Damon's portrayal of the same character in The Talented Mr. Ripley). The plotting is vague to the point of irrelevance; Wenders prefers to maintain the aura of mystery, as opposed to generating any conventional suspense, and expresses his affection for American movies by casting favorite directors Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller in pivotal supporting roles. The result is an intoxicating example of cinematic cross-pollination. --Jeff Shannon

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Gripping, non-stop tension

The tension is so palpable here that it's a character in and of itself.

Tom Ripley, as played by Dennis Hopper, feels truer to his EASY RIDER role than the character in the novel upon which the movie is based, as some critics have said. I say "feels truer" because I haven't seen the first or read the second, but I believe those critics.

But that doesn't matter. Not at all. This movie is about Jonathan Zimmerman, as played by Bruno Ganz. Every time he's on the screen, which is most of the time, you're just gripped in both your mind and your gut and you can't turn away, reach down for a drink of water, hit pause and go to the bathroom, or anything.

I'm one of those weird animals who's just as comfortable with Hollywood crap as I am with literary classics. My wife's non-American and anti-Hollywood. We were both equally blown away by this film.

And by the way, the plot isn't predictable. Don't even think that. But it does organically unfold from the characters, so it's true. Gotta love it.

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Strangers on a Train

Here we have yet another adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel. Made in the 1970's this German version was directed by Wim Wenders. Dennis Hopper is the American friend although the movie pretty much belongs to Bruno Ganz who plays the quiet picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman with a blood disease. Hopper convinces him to take out an enemy of a Frenchman Gerard Blain in a Paris subway. Then there is the pivotal scene in a train lavatory where the best laid plans go awry. The film is set in Hamburg, Paris and New York. Hopper in really an engaging and good performance plays Ripley as a crude American who often wears a cowboy hat, a far cry from Matt Damon ("The Talented Mr. Ripley", John Malkovich ("Ripley's Game") and Alain Delon ("Purple Noon"), all of whom play the character as an urbane sophisticate (while Damon starts out as a novice to culture, he is certainly a fast learner).

The cinamatography works very well here, giving the viewer atmospheric shots of Hamburg as well as some interesting closeups, for instance, the frames of TV monitors that catch Zimmerman fleeing from the subway after committing the murder.

Highsmith novels continue to engage film directors. Since she has many more novels that have yet to be made into movies, we can only hope other directors take up the Ripley story soon.

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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.

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Ex-patriot Dennis Hopper film?

This film is at a line between humor or drama.
Some of the action and situations remind of films like "High Risk"
in which the criminals are just bad at what they are doing.
This film is really not Dennis Hopper's best acting,
but the German acting of Bruno Ganz really makes up for that.
The ending is a surprise, but may well be the best part of the film.
There are subway rides to a death, and train rides to a killing,
but the mob in this film is just comedy relief?
The story is about an honest man tricked
by bad people into doing what he doesn't really want to do.
The film might well be an allegory on the Bush administration?

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"I like to make money and I travel a lot." Tom Ripley also enjoys now and then corrupting a good man

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.

Both the video and audio on the DVD seemed muddy to me. There are several extras, including a commentary track featuring Wenders and Hopper. A good deal of the film is in English, but the subtitles when used are easy to read.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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