Perfect Stranger

I've read all the negative comments and I'm starting to think someone who hates Halle Berry has created multiple accounts. I hadn't intended on seeing it, I just felt like going to the movies this afternoon. The movie I wanted to see didn't start until later so I said 'what the heck, I'll give it a try'. This movie was a pleasant surprise for me.

I called it noir-ish because that's the feeling I got from it. And I have to say that sitting in the theater I thought, 'Gee, it's nice to see a movie with two real live movies stars in it.' You get all kinds of weird combinations these days with stars and starlets and rap artists that it's no wonder that most movies are awful.

In this case you have a story about a woman played by Halle Berry who is an investigative reporter for a major newspaper. She has a great story that her paper decides to not use. In anger, she quits, and at the same time a maybe even more important story, involving an advertising giant played by Bruce Willis, falls in her lap. So the movie is about her trying to get to the bottom of this story along with the help of her friend/colleague, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Now I'm purposely not including any spoilers because I personally like to know as little as possible going into a film.

I think a good number of people who like movies like The Usual Suspects or Lucky Number Slevin will like something like this. Now where I think we can really tell is if you also saw and didn't hate the Black Dahlia. A lot of people didn't like it. I loved it. But being very specific there were people who didn't like it because they felt the ending was too quick and that there was no way you could have figured it out with the information at hand until the movie explained it for you at the end. I disagree but those people may have a problem with this. Anyone who wants to figure mysteries out before the end and doesn't want to go along for the ride may have the age old complaint of "how are we supposed to figure it out if they only told you (insert important plot point) at the end?" I'm not one of those people. I like to go along for the ride. That being said, I do think there is enough info that if you really want to guess at the ending you could do it.

The acting was great. I'm not that big on Halle Berry but she did the best job I've seen her do in a while. Bruce is becoming someone I definitely trust with my money. And, imo, it's Giovanni Ribisi who stole the show here. He's getting better all the time.

This movie is for adults, not that it's too much for a teenager to handle. I just don't really think it's something your average teen would be interested in. And it's an R for a couple of reasons. So I'm going to recommend it for older mystery and/or noir fans who don't mind not being able to figure out the ending.

I went to see this movie because well...I had seen everything else that could possibly interest me. So I got my ticket, sat down and expected a really really bad movie because everything I heard about this movie was 'that' bad. And to my surprise it wasn't 'that' bad.

Sure it's not what one might expect from an Oscar winning actress but still, not that bad! People should really give this movie a break, I have seen much much worse over the last 18 months. This movie is just a nice easy to watch movie, if you're looking for a real bad thriller that tries to be sexy try to watch 'Basic Instinct 2' and I say try because that movie is 'that bad'.

So put in perspective, 'Perfect Stranger' delivers enough to be entertaining in it's genre, it's not the best thriller ever but it sure isn't the worst, far from it.

Say what you will, I enjoyed it :)

Unlike many of the reviewers on here, I quite liked the main body of the film. I love murder mysteries, suspense, whodunits, so it's always nice when a big budget mystery comes out.

TV mysteries are always the best, Agatha Christie penned mysteries are definitely the best, you are given clues, taken up blind alleys, but if you're smart, you can work out the puzzle. The problem with Perfect Stranger, is that the ending feels like it was tagged on because nobody was smart enough to come up with an intelligent, logical conclusion, that actually made sense. I felt robbed by the twist, the whole conclusion made absolutely no sense. The closing twenty minutes almost made me feel like I'd switched channels, which is a shame, because the build up was really smart, I enjoyed the tension, I liked the way the story was going, the eye pictures, drops etc, it was clever, then we get the rug pulled from underneath our feet.

Halle Berry did a great job, Bruce Willis was also very good, in a very different role for him. Disheartening, but with the likes of Gone Girl and Girl on a Train the genre is still alive.

Watchable, 6/10

PERFECT STRANGER is a fast-paced little crime mystery of a film that despite the innumerable sidebars of undeveloped information scattered throughout the script does manage to surprise the audience at the end. The movie seems to be a vehicle for the beautiful Halle Berry to show off her skills and other assets: Bruce Willis is billed as a co-star but his role is minor and unexpectedly underplayed - a nice little tour de force for the king of action flicks.

Berry plays a reporter with a man's nom de plume that allows her to uncover secrets of famous people for newsy stories. Once fired from her job for uncovering the deeds of a Senator who is promoted by her newspaper, she teams her good buddy Giovanni Ribisi, a wizard of information about the media and internet spying, and the two go after a wealthy ad executive (Bruce Willis) when the murder of one of Berry's old girlfriends stirs both her wrath and her own secret demons. The chase is on with Berry playing games of deceit backed by the skills of Ribisi. And just when the plot seems to have uncovered the murderer, then another line of story involving Ribisi and Berry explodes the audience's tracking of the crime with a rather good ending.

Berry is fine in her role as is Ribisi with his: Willis is not on the screen long enough to form an opinion, a fact that is actually rather a refreshing twist! The camera loves Berry in all her glamour and manages to turn sordid when the plot elements necessitate that. It is a fair evening's diversion and were it not for all the 'dropped ideas' that plead development, it would be a stronger thriller. Grady Harp

Perfect Stranger I had read really bad reviews of the movie on the internet and I was not sure whether I should go to see this movie or not. I had to choose between a 1918 Austrian silent movie and this. I chose this, just because it was a new movie.

The story is about a journalist – played by Halle Berry, who does sting operations on rich powerful businessmen. With one mission unsuccessful due to politics and power-play in not covering the sting by the news industry and she quitting her job; she pursues Harrison Hill – played by Bruce Willis – to expose the murder of her friend. She takes the help of her colleague Miles – played by Giovanni Ribisi. I would not disclose the expose and let the last frame suspense let out.

The movie is quite engaging throughout, and I found the reviews a bit harsh and lopsided. It is not such a bad movie as made out to be by film critics. The mystery quotient shifts from one character to another, I had guessed one when the murder took place, but due to the course of engrossing events and incidences – I lost that thought; only to re-emerge as the mystery I had guessed in the first place.

The ending was a bit lame, and there are lots of loose ends hanging. Halle Berry looks good and tries to act sincerely. At times she has captured some emotions perfectly. Bruce Willis does not have much to do and as usual he mumbles his way through the movie and at times displays his whimsical temper. The surprise pack was Giovanni Ribisi – as the colleague and close friend of Halle Berry – who has a huge crush on her and manipulates Halle's effort to solve the mystery.

James Foley – the director, lost the plot in the end, but leaves behind an engrossing story overall.

(Stars 5.25 out of 10)