A Stranger Among Us

In New York, Detective Emily Eden (Melanie Griffith) is a tough detective and daughter of a former cop. When her partner Nick (Jamey Sheridan) is stabbed during an arrest of two drug dealers, Emily is assigned to a case of missing person, Yaakov Klausman, in a Hasidic community. However she discovers that Yaakov, who worked cutting diamonds, was murdered. Emily concludes that Yaakov knew the killer and asks the rebbe (Lee Richardson) permission to work undercover in the community. The rebbe brings Emily to his home and his stepdaughter Leah (Mia Sara) and his stepson Ariel (Eric Thal) help her to know people in the community and understand their habits and rules. Emily works in a department store with Leah, Ariel and Yaakov's fiancée Mara (Tracy Pollan), who was former drug addicted embraced by Yaakov and the rebbe, and her partner Levine (John Pankow) gives support to her. Meanwhile Emily falls in unrequited love with Ariel. When the gangsters Tony Baldessari (James Gandolfini) and Chris Baldessari (Chris Collins) threaten the group to sell protection to them, Emily believes she has resolved the case. But soon she has a discussion with Ariel and she concludes that the killer is another person from the community.

"A Stranger Among Us" is an underrated movie that entwined crime, drama and romance. The story is well constructed, disclosing a totally different society in the Twentieth Century in New York City. Most of the bad reviews of the critics are based on the similarities of this movie with 1985 "Witness", but anyway "A Stranger Among Us" is an engaging film. The first time I saw this movie in the 90's, I did not understand how and independent woman like Emily Eden could fall in love with Ariel, but this time I have understood her need of fraternal love. This movie is basically the debut of James Gandolfini. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Estranha Entre Nós" ("A Stranger Among Us")

Detective Emily Eden (Melanie Griffith) is an aggressive NYPD detective. Her partner Nick gets shot. She is assigned to find a missing Hasidic Jew named Yaakov. She discovers that he's been killed and $720k of diamonds are missing. She thinks it's an inside job and goes undercover in the community with the help of the rebbe's adopted son (Eric Thal) and daughter Leah (Mia Sara). Mara (Tracy Pollan) is Yaakov's widow.

Melanie Griffith is horrible as the tough as nail cop. She is laughable at the role. Then she goes into the conservative Jewish world like a bull in a china shop. It's an interesting world but it's treated with a heavy hand by Griffith's flirtatious character. Director Sidney Lumet has the wrong leading lady and it's too broadly written anyways. I'm sure a modern policewoman undercover in the Hasidic world could be interesting but Griffith is not doing it right.

There is not much of a plot in this movie and fortunately it wastes relatively little time in developing it. Melanie Griffith is miscast as a cop. However, her acting, while not great, is not as bad as some have said. The main point of the movie, as far as I am concerned, is to portray aspects of the Hasidic community, which most people do not know much about. This movie tells much more about the Hasidim than Witness told of about the Amish. For this alone the movie is worth watching.

Technically a mystery, the real focus was on the movement of Griffith from an OK life toward a real life. While she enjoyed being a cop and having a good partner, one quietly becomes aware of how shallow and lonely her life really is. No friends, no supportive family, no grounding, and certainly no joy.

Her immersion into a vibrant religious community slowly opens her eyes. The scene of the joy filled celebration of Sabbath is beautifully well done. Being treated as a daughter by the Rebbe who also understood what it meant to deal with evil as much as she did was key. That she is attracted to a handsome man is secondary to her attraction to what he represented - integrity, knowing who he was, using a range of natural and developed gifts, being an integral part of a supportive community, and finding joy within a chosen structure.

There is one rather violent scene, and the language while accurate, is questionable for all family members.

Most comments refer to this as some kind of Witness rip-off. Sorry - just don't agree. Going 'undercover' in another culture was not patented by Witness. The parallels are just not there - so who was the 'Witness, in SAU? That's just one question. Then again if one has only 5 pigeon holes (or less) to file films into - then go ahead.

MG was just fine in the film - her voice is always going to be with her - and she's made it through 100 roles already with it.

The portrayal of the Hassidim was surely an education for many.

The 'background filming' was good - even as a born New Yorker - got to see some new 'shots'

The plot was there - but jumpy - I doubt very many predicted the killers - but did wonder why accomplices not revealed.

Sure there were inconsistencies and illogical stuff - but not any more than the bloody Crichton films which most of the time require you have to forget you have a brain - yet take themselves VERY seriously. SAU was not written as a documentary - it's overall flow was there - AND very much enjoyable.