Der amerikanische Soldat (1970)

Der amerikanische Soldat: Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. With Karl Scheydt, Elga Sorbas, Jan George, Hark Bohm. Ricky is a cold-blooded U.S. German contract killer. After serving in Viet Nam, he returns to his home town of Munich to eliminate a few problem crooks for three renegade cops. He inspects his old neighborhood with his childhood accomplice Franz Walsch, and pays a short visit to his mother and doting brother. When Ricky asks the hotel clerk for a girl, one of the cops sends his girlfriend Rosa. However, she falls for the killer.

“This is an early Fassbinder film, and from what Iu0026#39;ve seen, one of the best of his first 11 (which make up his first stage as a filmmaker). Itu0026#39;s Fassbinder in gangster mode, and has been called an homage to film noir or even a parody of film noir. This isnu0026#39;t the case though. The movie is just film noir done by Fassbinder. There are little homages here and there, the beginning and end could be seen as being inspired by Breathless (taken to ridiculous extremes), and there are lots of filmmakers names used as characters, but Fassbinder isnu0026#39;t winking at the camera so much as just being himself, which back then, could be quite bizarre. In fact, this might be one of Fassbinderu0026#39;s most bizarre movies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe camera stands still, characters occasionally deliver seemingly unrelated monologues, unusual plot lines are treated nonchalantly (Rickyu0026#39;s brother is in love with him?), people about to be killed donu0026#39;t seem to be worried, and the singlehandedly greatest song ever plays over and over again, crooning u0026quot;so much tenderness is in my head, so much loneliness in my bed.u0026quot; To have this song play over scenes of a stone-cold amoral hitman (the title character) casually driving his car are perversely hilarious. Even better is when it plays in the end, in one of the greatest endings Iu0026#39;ve ever seen (youu0026#39;ll have to check it out).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe recent release of this film on DVD should help bring it some attention, as its now available for a pretty reasonable price from Wellspring. If youu0026#39;re looking for one of Fassbinderu0026#39;s more mature, professional, socially poignant melodramas, maybe this isnu0026#39;t the movie for you. If youu0026#39;re interested in an extremely unique unclassifiable early Fassbinder, by all means, check this out. Despite the occasional nods to past filmmakers, itu0026#39;s surprising how unique Fassbinder was from the start.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(for those who are Jim Jarmusch fans, itu0026#39;s apparent films like these must have inspired the detached humor in some of his more recent films).”