Synopsis
The American Friend (Der amerikanische Freund) (1977) Tom Ripley has a sweet deal with an art forger. The forger creates the paintings; Tom sells them. But another criminal business associate wants Tom to go in for an even riskier enterprise: murder. Tom suggests his associate ask a local picture framer instead. That man has a fatal disease, or so it's rumored. More, he has a wife and kid that surely he wouldn't want to leave penniless. Let this picture framer be a hit man, and no one will suspect. The terminally ill craftsman may agree to the misdeed, and several more, but he'll end up needing Tom Ripley in a pinch. ??J. Spurlin

Awards: 6 wins & 3 nominations
Budget: DEM 3,000,000 (estimated)
Worldwide Gross: $3,978
Soundtrack: Too Much on My Mind (Written by Ray Davies)


Wim Wenders
Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer
1977-09-28 (West Germany, France)
tt0075675