When Strangers Appear

In 1997, Scott Reynolds made an impressive writing and directing debut with "The Ugly", although his story was a bit too shallow and his direction a bit overly flashy. This time, with his compelling, perspective-shifting script and taut direction, he achieves moments of true brilliance - so many, in fact, that it's hard to pick just one (the little girl who witnesses a violent struggle but doesn't understand it? The sink that may not hold the weight of a man? The killer silently stalking his victim in the toilets, using an admittedly old trick?). This man could very well develop into the Hitchcock of the next generation - the movie even has its own McGuffin to propel the plot (the computer disk). The first half is essentially a mystery, with plenty of twists; when the truth becomes (somewhat) clear, the movie becomes a full-blown thriller, and it offers one absolutely astounding suspense sequence after another. Don't miss it. (***)

I say this film a couple of nights ago when I couldn't find anything to watch. Having seen the first couple of minutes I was wondering if I'd made the right decision, I'm glad I stuck with it because this is one very cool film. Twists that keep you guessing, fantastic acting, an unusual ending, splendid locations. And, the absolutely gorgeous Radha Mitchell. See this film, you won't be disappointed.

One question though - what is it with Volvo's? They appear in almost every film I've ever seen!

In contrast to the other comment written about this film, I actually like this film a lot. In my opinion, it is well acted and the lack of background music in the film helps create a tense atmosphere which will keep you on the edge of your seat. This atmosphere is added to by the way that the film has been made in a small area, due to it's low budget, making it feel quite claustrophobic. The plot of the film never seems quite clear and has many twists and turns within it, making you change you opinion constantly as to who is on whose side. All in all, this is a very good psychological thriller which will keep you thinking all the way through the film and on the edge of your seat at the same time. I'd give this an 8.5 out of 10 as I enjoyed it however it hasn't got the best plot in the world and won't be suited to everyone's tastes.

Wow...I tell you what I really liked this movie when i saw it. I was sitting home watching lifetime and this happened to come on. I was so enthralled by this movie i couldn't turn away from it. I love Josh Lucas in this movie. I had always been a huge fan of him, like it Sweet Home Alabama. But in this movie you got to see him act in a different way, he actually got to take on a darker roll. I didn't think that it would work but it totally did! This movie was full of twists and turns. Reading the other comments everyone says that they didn't like the ending but i thought that the ending was pretty good. How they made it switch on and on from person to person. It was a little bit hard to follow but in the end it made it all that much more worth it. I would definitely recommend this movie!

A beatiful trip into the cinematographic nihilistic non sense of a story without real meaning, but tight, well written and with a cool music all around. This is a thriller how it should be done, without relaxation, always on the edge of something, full of surprises and with good acting for most of the leads. This is another good surprise from down under, thanks to the misunderstood genius of new-zealander Scott Reynolds, whose The Ugly was something of a miracle, a really disturbing tense horror, not very much appreciated. The female lead is the gorgeous Radha Mitchell (already seen in Pitch Black). What more can I say? Buy or rent this movie and you'll find your money well spent. Thumbs up!!