The Stranger

The most noticeable thing about this slow-burn Aussie crime drama is how it tonally wavers yet never loosens its chokehold on the viewers. There were moments where I thought The Stranger was going to take a psychological horror route, but then it's quick to revert to its drama-thriller backdrop. The first act doesn't give away a lot, with both Edgerton and Harris coming across as strangers we're trying to dissect.

I thought the film came into form in the second act, when some secrets begin to unfurl. As opposed to the sketch we get of his character (by way of the investigation scenes), Sean Harris puts up a restrained performance that is strangely satisfying and gets under your skin. Edgerton is also really good, but I'd say the film scores when the spotlight is on Harris.

It's a slow-burn thriller which discusses violence but rarely shows it. Most of the details (and reveals) are expository in nature, so it'd totally depend on whether you enjoy films that pick the non-scenic route. I'm pretty sure Kate Kyriacou's book which the film bases itself on, is incredible to read.

This movie demands constant attention while seemingly nothing is really happening. Two men meet and one, the friend, introduces the other, the Stranger, to an opportunity in a criminal enterprise that looks like a smuggling ring for a black market but nothing seems to come of it. Through out the film there is an intensity to the stranger the exudes menace. As they go about mundane tasks to wipe out traces of some unexplained crime, the stranger is forced to reveal more and more of his past to assure the leaders of the criminal group that he is being forthright with them.

Meanwhile, there are interludes of the friend and his 9-year-old son. Their clearly loving and supportive relationship provides a needed break in the tension and a foil to the horror revealed later.

I don't understand the reviews they complain about the acting. This isn't one of those lightweight comedies or action flicks with two-dimensional characters and catch phrases written expressly for the trailers. It's funny how people swoon over a Marvel movie then complain about movies performed by true character actors following the dramatic vision of inspired writers, a talented cinematographer and director, and fashioned by professional editors.

If you love cinema and appreciate the effort to bring complicated and multi-dimensional characters to life, then this film is a must.

I didn't give ten stars because the sound editing drowned out too many conversations. This is a common problem today; emphasizing the music, which is more often just low base rumbling, to build atmosphere at the expense of delivering audible voice.

Australian crime dramas have always kept me on edge despite their knack for the implication of violence rather than actually showing it on the big screen. Wright's peculiar style of narration, unraveling the story in a somewhat unconventional style, actually amplifies the impact the story leaves on the audience.

As for the score and cinematography, a better job couldn't have been possibly done as the atmospheric style totally suits the storyline.

Even though Joel Edgerton delivers an acceptable performance as a character living a dual life, one must admit that it is Sean Harris who carries the whole movie with his nuanced yet powerhouse delivery.

One tiny bit of criticism: I am sure they could have come up with a much better and more intriguing title than "The Stranger".

A very beautiful film with a strong atmosphere and a measured rhythm, where a policeman infiltrates a community of thugs to track down a child killer. Joel Edgerton is this policeman, who lives in permanent stress, illustrated with his scenes of his family life, that is to say with his son, of whom he has the custody from time to time. But undercover cop and father life are not easy. The one he tracks is Sean Harris, in a subtle interpretation, to draw a character on which it is hard to have a psychological grip. The plot and the script work perfectly the subject: during the whole film, we wonder if he is the killer wanted for these murders of children. The last quarter will give us the explanations.

Thomas M. Wright signs a film that has its own rhythm, its dense climates (settings, photography, music), far from any narrative and technical hysteria. He takes his time to film the sequences over time.

The film is carried by its two main actors, in interpretations all in subtlety, by small touches, their characters always remaining mysterious, and maintaining the interest of the spectator and the curiosity for the continuation. The spectator is constantly wondering how the story will evolve. The work of Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris makes us perceive a constant tension. Their characters seem always ready to cross the limit, and provoke a permanent tension on the whole film.

Superb exercise of style.

Very dark and gritty. Slow paced, psychological tension built up to a point where I was rly unnerved and uncomfortable, in an awesome way.

Glad I saw and listened to that one review, which advised not to look much further into more reviews that might give away too much. So going into it knowing almost nothing is what I recommend as well.

The shots, the minimalistic dark OST, the pace it all fit very well together.

At moments it felt way too real and I could empathize a lot with some of the characters.

Being intentionally very vague, and won't get into the story for the aforementioned reason. I will recommend this movie to some of my friends, especially those who I know share my passion for slow, dark and gritty non-flashy movies, that make you feel you need a goddamn beer to deal with the induced anxiety, after viewing it. Have fun!