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BBFC RatingWim Wenders Retrospective: The American Friend

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Certificate15
Year1977
GenreCrime, Drama, Thriller
Director(s)Wim Wenders
Writer(s)Wim Wenders
LanguageGerman, English, French
CountryGermany, France
Running Time2HR 5MINS
SeasonKino Dreams - Wim Wenders Retrospective

Wim Wenders pays loving homage to rough-and-tumble Hollywood film noir with The American Friend, a loose adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel Ripley’s Game, newly restored in 4K.

Dennis Hopper oozes quirky menace as an amoral American art dealer who entangles a terminally ill German everyman, played by Bruno Ganz, in a seedy criminal underworld as revenge for a personal slight—but when the two become embroiled in an ever-deepening murder plot, they form an unlikely bond.

Filmed on location in Hamburg and Paris, with some scenes shot in grimy, late-seventies New York City, Wenders’ international breakout is a stripped-down crime story that mixes West German and American film flavours, and features cameos by filmmakers Jean Eustache, Samuel Fuller, and Nicholas Ray.

Kino Dreams is the first UK retrospective of Wenders’ films in 15 years and the first chance for UK audiences to experience the 4K restorations of Wings of DesireThe American Friend and Kings of The Road in cinemas. The tour aims to introduce a new generation of film fans to the work of one of world cinema's most curious and creative filmmakers.


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