The American Friend

"The American Friend (1977) is like a strange cover version of the original source material, Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith. The melody and the lyrics are the same but its tone and texture completely subverts what’s in the novel and its subsequent adaptations. The film moves Ripley from Paris to working class Hamburg and puts Dennis Hopper in the role of an older Ripley (in his 40s or 50s), who bears no resemblance to the chameleon-like social climber played by Delon (as well as Damon and Malchovich in subsequent films). Hopper did this movie right after his infamous Apocalypse Now performance. In that film Coppola had to create a new character for him, a druggie burnout war reporter who had fallen under Kurtz’s spell, because he was “flying too close to the sun” to pull off his original role of Colby. So it’s hard to say if this version was director Wim Wenders’ vision for the character or if it was just where Hopper’s headspace was at, but from what I’ve read it seemed to be a bit of both. He plays Ripley as a seedy, bohemian cowboy decked out in overalls and a 5 gallon hat. He is living (maybe squatting) in a dilapidated manor house, making his living selling forged art and seems to be universally loathed by everyone. It’s an interesting performance though. There is a real desperation and neediness in the character, to go with the sociopathic vindictiveness. His performance actually reminds me of another Patrcia Highsmith character from cinema, Bruno Anthony, the psychotic man-child in Strangers on a Train. (cont)"