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The American Friend, 1977
Sociopath Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) is running an art forgery scam with a partner. When a terminally ill man named Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) snubs him at an auction, Ripley gets revenge by convincing the man his disease is worsening and manipulating him into becoming a hitman for some of his nastier associates.
I have read several of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley books, though not the one on which this film is based. I had a slightly mixed reaction to this film, though more positive than negative.
I guess my only real complaint--though one that ran through the whole film--was the portrayal of Ripley. This is totally a case of comparing an interpretation to the original work, so fair play if you don't think that's valid. If the character had been called anything but Tom Ripley I might not have been bothered. But there is something a bit unhinged about Ripley in this film and how Hopper portrays him. Something that makes Ripley a fun antagonist is his lack of sentimentality and total self-interest, but also the fact that he will sometimes make totally impulsive decisions that he must then deal with. This Ripley felt more . . . . neurotic. And I guess the reason that it bothered me a bit is that in the original novel, Ripley's sexuality (he is either gay or bisexual) felt separate to an important degree. Highsmith was able to have a gay character who preys on men and women in a way that you usually only see male characters go after female characters. But in this film, his sexuality and his sociopathy feel more intertwined and I had mixed feelings about that. It's like his gay side is his "weaker" side and . . . eh.
What I did really love is that this is a very character-driven thriller, mainly focusing on Jonathan (and by extension his family, with whom we spend a lot of time) and using Ripley largely as a catalyst. Jonathan is despairing because he believes--thanks to Ripley fudging some medical results--that he will soon die. He is anxious about leaving his family behind. And yet, he is miserable (and maybe a bit exhilarated) with the violence he is asked to perpetrate. Ironically, the more he tries to help his family, the more he becomes alienated from them.
One of the best touches of the film is the way that Jonathan (and we as the audience) constantly return to the mundane everyday activities of his family. Jonathan returns from having murdered someone to watch his son playing in the bathtub. He is becoming someone different, and his family--even his small children--are on the periphery of it. His wife is very aware that something is amiss, and we can feel her frustration build as the film goes on.
The assassination sequences themselves are thrilling and suspenseful. One, in which Jonathan is to assassinate a man on an escalator, makes great use of the confined space and movement of the escalator. Another sequence, one that takes place on a train, is also well-staged, including layering in many character beats for both Jonathan and Ripley.
Despite having a few issues with the portrayal of Ripley's character--again, based on my experience with the novel and feeling that some of the themes and character traits were a bit of a misfire--I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.
The American Friend, 1977
Sociopath Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) is running an art forgery scam with a partner. When a terminally ill man named Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) snubs him at an auction, Ripley gets revenge by convincing the man his disease is worsening and manipulating him into becoming a hitman for some of his nastier associates.
I have read several of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley books, though not the one on which this film is based. I had a slightly mixed reaction to this film, though more positive than negative.
I guess my only real complaint--though one that ran through the whole film--was the portrayal of Ripley. This is totally a case of comparing an interpretation to the original work, so fair play if you don't think that's valid. If the character had been called anything but Tom Ripley I might not have been bothered. But there is something a bit unhinged about Ripley in this film and how Hopper portrays him. Something that makes Ripley a fun antagonist is his lack of sentimentality and total self-interest, but also the fact that he will sometimes make totally impulsive decisions that he must then deal with. This Ripley felt more . . . . neurotic. And I guess the reason that it bothered me a bit is that in the original novel, Ripley's sexuality (he is either gay or bisexual) felt separate to an important degree. Highsmith was able to have a gay character who preys on men and women in a way that you usually only see male characters go after female characters. But in this film, his sexuality and his sociopathy feel more intertwined and I had mixed feelings about that. It's like his gay side is his "weaker" side and . . . eh.
What I did really love is that this is a very character-driven thriller, mainly focusing on Jonathan (and by extension his family, with whom we spend a lot of time) and using Ripley largely as a catalyst. Jonathan is despairing because he believes--thanks to Ripley fudging some medical results--that he will soon die. He is anxious about leaving his family behind. And yet, he is miserable (and maybe a bit exhilarated) with the violence he is asked to perpetrate. Ironically, the more he tries to help his family, the more he becomes alienated from them.
One of the best touches of the film is the way that Jonathan (and we as the audience) constantly return to the mundane everyday activities of his family. Jonathan returns from having murdered someone to watch his son playing in the bathtub. He is becoming someone different, and his family--even his small children--are on the periphery of it. His wife is very aware that something is amiss, and we can feel her frustration build as the film goes on.
The assassination sequences themselves are thrilling and suspenseful. One, in which Jonathan is to assassinate a man on an escalator, makes great use of the confined space and movement of the escalator. Another sequence, one that takes place on a train, is also well-staged, including layering in many character beats for both Jonathan and Ripley.
Despite having a few issues with the portrayal of Ripley's character--again, based on my experience with the novel and feeling that some of the themes and character traits were a bit of a misfire--I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.