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Home/The American Friend/Similar Movies

The American Friend

Movies Like The American Friend (1977)

The American Friend is a 1977 crime, drama, thriller film from Wim Wenders with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Bucket List and Henry Poole Is Here.

Crime Drama Thriller

The Bucket List poster

The Bucket List

2007

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.

Henry Poole Is Here poster

Henry Poole Is Here

2008

Henry Poole abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a 'miracle' by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.

The Irishman poster

The Irishman

2019

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

Bangkok Dangerous poster

Bangkok Dangerous

2000

Kong, a deaf-mute, lives a life of quiet desperation working for Bangkok mobsters. Despite his disability, Kong's mentor Joe trains him to be a stone-cold assassin. After a brutal hit abroad, Kong returns to Bangkok and falls in love with young pharmacy clerk. But when Joe's girlfriend Aom is raped, the duo risk everything for revenge.

Touchez Pas au Grisbi poster

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

1954

Gentleman gangster Max and his partner, Riton, pull off their last, most successful heist and find themselves comfortable enough to retire in the style they enjoy. However, Max confides the details of the theft to his younger mistress, Josey -- who has secretly taken up with ambitious young rival gangster Angelo. Angelo then has Riton kidnapped and demands the stash of gold as ransom, which threatens Max's dreams of the perfect retirement.

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead poster

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

1995

Five different criminals face imminent death after botching a job quite badly.

A Better Tomorrow II poster

A Better Tomorrow II

1987

A restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.

The Killer poster

The Killer

2023

After a fateful miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

21 Hours at Munich poster

21 Hours at Munich

1976

A dramatization of the incident in 1972 when Arab terrorists broke into the Olympic compound in Munich and murdered 11 Israeli athletes.

The Shootist poster

The Shootist

1976

Afflicted with a terminal illness John Bernard Books, the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler. Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow and her son. However, it is not Books' fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.

A Walk Among the Tombstones poster

A Walk Among the Tombstones

2014

Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.

Best Seller poster

Best Seller

1987

Hit man Cleve approaches writer/cop Dennis about a story for his next book: How Cleve made a living, working for one of the most powerful politicians in the country. To get the story right, they travel around the country to gather statements and evidence, while strong forces use any means they can to keep the story untold.

Topaz poster

Topaz

1969

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1962. When a high-ranking Soviet official decides to change sides, a French intelligence agent is caught up in a cold, silent and bloody spy war in which his own family will play a decisive role.

As Good as It Gets poster

As Good as It Gets

1997

Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction, is rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor, Simon. After Simon is brutally attacked and hospitalized, Melvin finds his life turned upside down when he has to look after Simon's dog. In addition, Carol, the only waitress at the local diner who will tolerate him, leaves work to care for her chronically ill son, making it impossible for Melvin to eat breakfast.

The Godfather Part II poster

The Godfather Part II

1974

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

GoodFellas poster

GoodFellas

1990

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

The Bourne Identity poster

The Bourne Identity

2002

Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?

Desperate Measures poster

Desperate Measures

1998

San Francisco police officer Frank Connor is in a frantic search for a compatible bone marrow donor for his gravely ill son. There's only one catch the potential donor is convicted multiple murderer Peter McCabe who sees a trip to the hospital as the perfect opportunity to get what he wants most: freedom. With McCabe's escape, the entire hospital becomes a battleground and Connor must pursue and, ironically, protect the deadly fugitive who is his son's only hope for survival.

The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker poster

The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker

2007

A university student finds himself wrapped up in the bizarre world of his next door neighbor, learning about his history and relationship with a girl who changed his life.

Breathless poster

Breathless

1960

A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he attempts to persuade a girl to run away to Italy with him.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The American Friend?

The top films similar to The American Friend by MovieMagicScore are The Bucket List (7.2), Henry Poole Is Here (5.9), The Irishman (7.6). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The American Friend worth watching?

The American Friend holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 415 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The American Friend?

The American Friend (1977) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Wim Wenders, starring Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer.

Where can I find more recommendations like The American Friend?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Bucket List Movies like Henry Poole Is Here Movies like The Irishman Movies like Bangkok Dangerous Movies like Touchez Pas au Grisbi Movies like Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

About movies like The American Friend

This ranked list pairs The American Friend (1977), a crime and drama and thriller film from Wim Wenders, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Dennis Hopper take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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