Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.
You can now watch The American Friend online on the following streaming providers in the United States.
| Sound | Jürgen Knieper | Original Music Composer |
| Editing | Peter Przygodda | Editor |
| Production | Joachim von Mengershausen | Producer |
| Directing | Wim Wenders | Director |
| Production | Renée Gundelach | Executive Producer |
| Writing | Wim Wenders | Screenplay |
| Camera | Robby Müller | Director of Photography |
| Writing | Patricia Highsmith | Novel |
| Production | Wim Wenders | Producer |
| Art | Toni Lüdi | Art Direction |
| Costume & Make-Up | Isolde Nist | Costume Design |
| Production | Margaret Ménégoz | Line Producer |
| Art | Heidi Lüdi | Art Direction |
| Costume & Make-Up | Evelyn Döhring | Makeup Artist |
| Costume & Make-Up | Hannelore Uhrmacher | Makeup Artist |
| Production | Pierre Cottrell | Production Manager |
| Production | Harald Kügler | Unit Manager |
| Production | Michael Wiedemann | Production Manager |
| Directing | Emmanuel Clot | Assistant Director |
| Directing | Fritz Müller-Scherz | Assistant Director |
| Directing | Philippe Schwartz | First Assistant Director |
| Art | Peter Braun | Props |
| Art | Luigi De Luca | Props |
| Art | Bernhard Frey | Props |
| Art | Eckerhard Voggenreiter | Props |
| Sound | Milan Bor | Sound Mixer |
| Sound | Jochen Bärwald | Sound Assistant |
| Sound | Max Galinsky | Sound Mixer |
| Sound | Peter Kaiser | Sound |
| Sound | Maryte Kavaliauskas | Sound Assistant |
| Sound | Jens-Uwe Laddey | Sound Assistant |
| Sound | Martin Müller | Sound Mixer |
| Crew | Theo Nischwitz | Special Effects |
| Crew | Klaus Schichan | Stunts |
| Lighting | Wolfgang Dell | Lighting Technician |
| Camera | Hans Dreher | Grip |
| Lighting | Ernst Harinko | Lighting Technician |
| Lighting | Ekkehard Heinrich | Lighting Technician |
| Camera | Edward Lachman | Assistant Camera |
| Lighting | Jean-Claude Le Bras | Electrician |
| Lighting | Robert Morsch | Electrician |
| Lighting | Tassilo Peik | Lighting Technician |
| Lighting | Viktor Sauermann | Lighting Technician |
| Camera | Martin Schäfer | Assistant Camera |
| Camera | Jacques Steyn | Assistant Camera |
| Lighting | Hans Volkmann | Lighting Technician |
| Lighting | Andreas Willim | Electrician |
| Editing | Gisela Bock | Assistant Editor |
| Editing | Ingrid Träutlein-Peer | Assistant Editor |
| Editing | Barbara von Weitershausen | Assistant Editor |
| Production | Heinz Badewitz | Location Manager |
| Production | Pat Kirck | Location Manager |
| Production | Philippe Schwartz | Location Manager |
| Directing | Gretl Zeilinger | Script Supervisor |
| Production | Claude Bertonazzi | Administration |
| Production | Harald Vogel | Production Assistant |
