"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".
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".