At a Glance

World-renowned director Wim Wenders is one of the most prolific and well respected filmmakers to emerge from contemporary German cinema. This collection of 10 films celebrates some of his best work.

Detailed Information

The American Friend is based on the novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith and won the German Critics Prize in 1977.

Frame maker Jonathan (Bruno Ganz - Wings of Desire and Downfall) believes he is dying from a blood disease. Jonathan's "American Friend", displaced cowboy Ripley (Dennis Hopper - Easy Rider), decides to use his illness to his advantage. Ripley introduces him to a gangster who proposes to the dying man that he should become a professional mob assassin, assuring a large legacy for his wife and children. Since he is facing death anyway, what has he to lose? Ripley had originally intended to allow Jonathan to do the dirty work that he didn't feel like doing, but has second thoughts when he becomes friends with the doomed man.

German with English subtitles