title Ripley's Game and shot the film under the title Framed. He also considered the title Rule Without Exception. He credits Hopper with suggesting the title The American Friend. American popular music is heard at several points in the film. Ripley quotes the song "Ballad of Easy Rider" from Easy Rider, a film Hopper directed and starred in, and Bob Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee" and "I Pity the Poor Immigrant." Zimmermann plays or sings songs by the Kinks, "Too Much on My Mind" and "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl", in his shop. Summer in the City, Wenders's first full-length feature film, was dedicated to The Kinks. Ripley tells Zimmermann that he's "bringing the Beatles back to Hamburg," and Zimmermann quotes their song "Drive My Car" later in the film. Critical reaction In A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir, David N. Meyer says: "Though the plot may not make a whole lot of sense the first time around—and the thick European accents of a couple of the major actors doesn't help—The American Friend is worth the effort. Few movies from any era or genre offer such rich characters, realistic human relationships, gripping action sequences, or sly humor." In Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir, Barry Gifford writes, "Of all the 'homage' films made since the 1940s and '50s meant to evoke noir, The American Friend succeeds more than most because of the spaces, the sputters, and sudden shifts of energy that allow the characters to achieve veracity." The film was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. It has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.33/10. The Critics' Consensus reads, "The American Friend is a slow burning existential thriller that does justice to the Patricia Highsmith source novel." Roger Ebert gave the film three stars (out of four), writing: "[Wenders] challenges us to admit that we watch (and read) thrillers as much for atmosphere as for plot. And then he gives us so much atmosphere we're almost swimming in it." David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews had a more mixed reaction, calling the film "occasionally thrilling" and praising "Ganz's subtle, thoroughly compelling performance" but criticizing what he called a "disastrous final half hour." Highsmith initially disliked the film but later changed her mind. Joan Schenkar's biography