The American Friend

The American Friend

125 mins | Drama, Thriller | June 24, 1977

Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.

The American Friend

125 mins | Drama, Thriller | June 24, 1977

The American Friend
Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.
IMDb rating 7.4
Producers Road Movies Filmproduktion GmbH, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Les Films du Losange, Wim Wenders Productions
Original title Der amerikanische Freund
Directors Gretl Zeilinger, Philippe Schwartz, Fritz Müller-Scherz, Emmanuel Clot, Wim Wenders
Writers Patricia Highsmith, Wim Wenders

Cast

Dennis Hopper

as Tom Ripley

Bruno Ganz

as Jonathan Zimmermann

Lisa Kreuzer

as Marianne Zimmermann

Gérard Blain

as Raoul Minot

Nicholas Ray

as Derwatt

Samuel Fuller

as The American

Peter Lilienthal

as Marcangelo

Daniel Schmid

as Igraham

Sandy Whitelaw

as Doctor in Paris

Jean Eustache

as Friendly Man

Lou Castel

as Rodolphe

Andreas Dedecke

as Daniel Zimmermann

David Blue

as Allan Winter

Rudolf Schündler

as Gantner

Gerty Molzen

as Old Lady

Heinz Joachim Klein

as Dr. Gabriel

Axel Schiessler

as Lippo

Adolf Hansen

as Conductor

Stefan Lennert

as Auctioneer

Heinrich Marmann

as Man on the Train

Enzo Robutti

as Falling Man (uncredited)

Wim Wenders

as Figure Wrapped in Plaster Bandages in Ambulance (uncredited)