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The American Soldier

Play trailer Poster for The American Soldier 1970 1h 20m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A soldier returns home from Vietnam and is hired by crooked cops to kill a few crooks but things get complicated when one of the cop's girlfriend falls for him.

Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray The Dissolve 09/04/2013
3/5
Fassbinder toys with the imagery of noir and pulp, peppering The American Soldier with long scenes of men in hats driving through darkened city streets, and throwing in references to Batman comics and science-fiction. Go to Full Review
Keith Uhlich House Next Door 01/28/2009
As Billy Wilder turned a crumbling Berlin into a slapstick, satirical playground in One, Two, Three, so Fassbinder offers up The American Soldier's Munich as a monochrome city of sadness. Go to Full Review
Tony Rayns Time Out 02/09/2006
This film marks a decisive step towards 'real' Fassbinder: the absurdity of its world of second-hand experience invests every clich with a meaning it never had before. Go to Full Review
Jordan Brooks Vague Visages 08/03/2023
A surrealist bookend to his unofficial gangster trilogy, The American Soldier finds R.W. Fassbinder not only at peace with his version of cinematic grace but more cynically-minded than ever. Go to Full Review
Ted Whitehead The Spectator 08/04/2015
Fassbinder loses both comedy and tension in his pursuit of grotesquerie, and there is a desperate sense of strain throughout. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 10/10/2009
The phantoms of Old Germany are everywhere Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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07/21/2020 Strange, exasperating, and oddly compelling. The American Soldier is a hired gunman who kills some people for not entirely clear reasons. It's a noir, yes, but almost surreal. For instance, a hotel maid who's infatuated with our (anti) hero walks in on him while he's consorting with a whore on a bed. She sits at the foot of the bed and tells a tale of a woman who marries a Turk who kills her and we find out there's a lot of Turks named Ali. The couple finishes up and walk into a hallway to find the maid distraught about her marriage and she kills herself. Yes, your guess is as good as mine. Johnny C sez check it out if you want your mind bent. See more 12/06/2015 You can see how Fassbinder is evolving as a film maker, but his gangster films aren't as strong as his xenophobic work. See more 07/03/2015 Nearly unclassifiable as usual for Fassbinder. There is a plot that helps keep one more engaged, but it's mostly for art house fiends and those who already know what they're getting into with this director. I personally feel this one missed the mark even though it tries hard to bring a surreal edge to film noir...mostly it falls flat and includes a ridiculous ending that would be satisfying to only someone completely looped. Fassbinder truly is hit or miss. See more 12/08/2013 Veers wildly, scene to scene, from idiotic to compelling, and probably wasn't the best place to start with Fassbinder. See more 06/11/2011 Fassbinder's homage to the American film noir, "The American Soldier" has the style and the coolness of those 40's films, but transposed into West Germany, specifically Munich with the crime lords there. It's one of those films that consistency in plot is not as much important as the images, especailly the very extended final shot of the movie. It's not the greatest in Fassbinder's career, but if you're a fan, then it's not to pass. See more 03/05/2011 it includes this incredible track fassbinder and peer raben wrote with günther kaufman's brilliant vocals. it also includes one of the most haunting endings i have ever seen on screen. See more Read all reviews
The American Soldier

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Movie Info

Synopsis A soldier returns home from Vietnam and is hired by crooked cops to kill a few crooks but things get complicated when one of the cop's girlfriend falls for him.
Director
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Producer
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Peer Raben
Screenwriter
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Runtime
1h 20m