Search - The American Friend on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1977 DVD Release: 01/07/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Drama, Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Crime Drama

Wim Wenders' mines Dennis Hopper's real-life experience as a painter and collector in this existential take on the American gangster film based on a Patricia Highsmith novel featuring the notoriously sociopathic Tom Ripley. Hopper stars as the eponymous American, currently a middleman selling the work of American painter Derwatt (Nicholas Ray), who has feigned his own death to increase the value of his paintings. While auctioning this work in Berlin, he meets art restorer Jonathan Zimmerman (Bruno Ganz), who he learns is suffering from an incurable blood disease. When a shady friend (Gérard Blain) requires Ripley to find a "clean" non-professional to do a contract hit in order to pay off a debt, even he is reluctant. But he quickly realizes that the physically vulnerable Jonathan would be perfect for the job, and tries to get him to accept by employing various subterfuges to persuade him that his condition is even worse than it is. For his part, Blain guarantees the restorer that his family will be financially secure for life, and a deal is struck. As usual, nothing works out quite as expected. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

Dennis Hopper - Tom Ripley
Bruno Ganz - Jonathan Zimmermann
Lisa Kreuzer - Marianne Zimmermann
Gérard Blain - Raoul Minot
Nicholas Ray - Derwatt

Wim Wenders directs Dennis Hopper in the thriller The American Friend, which comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.77:1. The soundtrack is rendered in the original German. English subtitles arte accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Wenders and Hopper, deleted scenes with optional director commentary, and biographies of those involved with the production. This is an excellent release from Anchor Bay. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide