Movies like The American Friend

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this intense psychological thriller starring Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert entangled in a possible murder plot shares the paranoid atmosphere and character nuances that echo the sophisticated storytelling of The American Friend.

Though more modern, Drive presents a stylized version of Los Angeles and focuses on a stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. The film's atmospheric tension and understated performances share common ground with the tone set in The American Friend.

Michael Mann's Thief, featuring a career criminal looking to leave the life of crime, offers a neo-noir experience with a focus on the intricacies of its characters' lives, mirrored in The American Friend's in-depth psychological exploration.

Directed by Robert Altman, The Long Goodbye follows private detective Philip Marlowe as he navigates through a complex web of betrayal and deception. Fans of The American Friend will appreciate the film's neo-noir atmosphere and its cynical take on the genre, much like Wenders' approach to storytelling.