Zimmerman is a VERY unlikable character.

The main character, Zimmerman (played by Bruno Ganz) is such a boring and bland character. He displays almost no emotion, he is selfish and stuck up, he abuses his wife and lies to her all the time, and he just always has that stupid awkward/confused look on his face. Usually in most movies i can connect or compare with characters in some way, Zimmerman on the other hand was a stranger for the entire movie. If it weren't for Ripley (played by Dennis Hopper) I would have turned it off half way through.