The American Friend

Tom Ripley, a wealthy American living in Hamburg, is deeply involved in an art forgery scheme. At an auction he is introduced to Jonathan Zimmermann, a picture framer who has framed one of the fakes in good faith. The meeting is cool and calculating, setting the stage for a dangerous alliance.

Zimmermann is dying of leukemia and does not greet Ripley warmly, refusing to shake his hand and saying, 'I've heard of you.' The slight offends Ripley, but it also draws him closer to Zimmermann. The illness floats over their interactions as both men weigh risk and reward.

Raoul Minot approaches Ripley with a request to murder an American gangster. Ripley declines the assignment, but he suggests that Zimmermann be used instead. He deliberately sows the idea to lure Zimmermann into a deadly scheme.

Ripley begins whispering that Zimmermann's illness has worsened to push Minot into hiring him. Minot promises a large payout for the 'miracle' frame maker, and Zimmermann travels with him to France for a second medical opinion. Minot arranges falsified test results to make Zimmermann fear his prognosis.

Zimmermann agrees to shoot a gangster in a Paris Métro station to provide for his wife Marianne and son Daniel. Ripley visits Zimmermann's shop before and after the planned murder, ostensibly to have a picture framed. The two men start forming a fragile, uneasy bond.

Minot returns while Zimmermann is still bound to the plan and is reportedly satisfied with the first hit. He pressures Zimmermann to kill another American gangster to ignite a gang war, this time on an intercity express train, using a garrote. Ripley watches with growing discomfort as the plan grows more brutal.

During the second hit on the train, the target nearly overpowers Zimmermann. Ripley intervenes from the shadows and saves him. They kill the target together and throw his body and a bodyguard from the moving train.

Back in Hamburg, Ripley confesses that he suggested the Zimmermann scheme to Minot. When Zimmermann offers him money for his role, Ripley declines and asks him not to reveal the involvement. The admission cements a dangerous, uneasy alliance between them.

Leading a double life strains Zimmermann's marriage. Marianne refuses to believe his travel stories and the supposed medical treatments, and she ultimately leaves with Daniel. Zimmermann collapses under the pressure as his personal life unravels.

Minot arrives to see if Zimmermann knows why his flat was bombed. Zimmermann mentions that 'we killed the man on the train,' which makes Minot suspect Ripley has turned on him. The paranoia threatens to break their fragile circle.

Zimmermann calls Ripley, and the two retreat to Ripley's mansion to wait for approaching assassins. They ambush and eliminate any gangsters who arrive, but the danger remains. Marianne's presence increasingly unsettles the alliance.

Minot has been captured and beaten by the Americans and manages to escape in the chaos. Ripley and Zimmermann continue their violent spree as they dump bodies into the ambulance brought by the gangsters. The line between ally and target becomes dangerously blurred.

The trio heads toward the sea, and Marianne reveals that the medical reports are fake. They plan one last escape with Marianne driving and Ripley in the ambulance carrying the bodies. The mood is fatalistic as they near the coast.

On an isolated beach, Ripley douses the ambulance with gasoline and sets it alight. Zimmermann drives away with Marianne, collapsing at the wheel, and Marianne survives. Ripley mutters a final line, acknowledging the outcome and warning to be careful.