The Stranger

The Stranger

Two strangers strike up a conversation on a long journey. One is a suspect in an unsolved missing person’s case and the other an undercover operative on his trail. Their uneasy friendship becomes the core of this tightly wrought thriller, which is based on the true story of one of the largest investigations and undercover operations in Australia.

  • Released: 2022-10-06
  • Runtime: 117 minutes
  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
  • Stars: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Jada Alberts, Fletcher Humphrys, Mike Foenander, Steve Mouzakis, Simon Elrahi, Alan Dukes, Ewen Leslie, Matthew Sunderland, Lucinda Nicholas, Peta Shannon, Thibul Nettle, Melanie Munt, Anni Finsterer, Patty Glavieux, Adam Morgan, Stephen Leeder, Andreas Sobik, Nick Buckland
  • Director: Thomas M. Wright
 Comments
  • gragle-61354 - 9 April 2024
    I'm a film buff of all genres but could not follow it
    I've watched it but am unable to tell you what it's about. It's a very slow start but that slowness continues throughout the film. The actors seem to muffle their way through the whole film and the majority of their words are simply not coherent.

    I understand that the dark atmospheric filming was in line with the terrible central plot but I could never, immediately, identify one character from the other as it was so dark when they were all together. The film is interjected frequently to a full police investigation which was the only part that I could see and understand.

    I wish I hadn't believed the hype and wasted my time watching it.
  • originaltomtom - 12 October 2023
    Darkness
    A hard film to watch. Dark and engulfing. A behind the curtain glimpse of world that the average person does not want to enter.

    The psychological world of being close to a terrible case of criminality.

    This is not a casual view.

    A fantastic acting achievement, culminating in an important film.

    The lead actors should be commended on their roles and the gravitas they brought to it.

    If you are looking for a light evenings viewing, Police drama, with the usual tropes, then avoid this film. Go watch Miami Vice.

    No catchy lines, car chases or shootouts.

    A very adult film, that handles the subject matter with respect and insight.

    Highly recommended.
  • paudman - 11 June 2023
    Might have been a documentary
    I watched this movie straight through; the early stages were 'what on earth is going on?' and the later stages were 'get on with it.' To be honest it may as well have been a documentary, all it needed was narration. Why on earth did anyone want to befriend Teague? What did he have going for him that was worthy of all the attention? Why was he brought into a shady, criminal organisation and treated like someone with value, even though from the start it appears he was a down-and-out with nothing going for him? It takes time to realise that he is the target, a man they are determined to catch out, and to do so they must win his trust, however unlikely it seems. I am surprised that not once does Teague ever question this wonderful friendship and bounty, as a man with secrets who should shun friendship and keep a low profile, but he appears to take it all on face value. He never asks what his job is, or what he is required to do, but is content to sit in the car or stand in the background while others run a mystical, mystifying business which we seem to find out is based on crime. His lack of curiosity seems at odds with the increasing responsibility he is given; the character never develops into someone capable of taking on ever more difficult roles simply because we never see him actually doing anything to deserve this promotion. Once it is established that he is the actual target then it all becomes something of a documentary; how to catch a killer. No drama, no tension, just an admission which is then used to search an area for remains.... but are they ever found? What on earth was the ending? If we are to assume that remains were found, and so Teague was finally caught for murder, we saw no reaction from anyone, neither the Police nor the prisoner. No forensic results, no description of what was found, just... the end. Disappointing. I like Joel Egerton, but this could have been an hour long episode of Vera.
  • gabriel_sanchez - 18 December 2022
    Strong story, but characters seem not to change
    The Stranger is one of those movies that suffers from what I call the possibility of wrong POV. We start the movie through Henry's view and, out of the sudden, when we break ingo Act 2, we shift to Mark's POV.

    Mark's problem is just his daily business, his job. He does not walk into the transformation machine, and this is a big deal; except Henry does!

    Henry seems to be the one changing the most as the story progresses. Have the story used his perspective, I think we would have a better story, if, of course, some other character traits changed as well.

    Kate Rylett seemed like a good POV candidate too. She seems personally involved, but the story never explores this.

    Henry keeps talking about some "Miss" that we never get resolution about. This is one plot hole.

    The ending is freaking weird. Seems like no one changed, not sure what I should get from it.
  • nshammill - 7 December 2022
    Excellent slow burn
    This is an excellent and unsettling slow burn thriller. The story and character development sucked me in, and the the brooding images were very effective, especially of that ominous mountain that felt disjointed in the most interesting way. Makes you feel alone.

    Music is great too - helps set the somber mood. I checked to see if you could buy the soundtrack but I can't seem to find anything.

    The film captures a sense of struggle and alienation really well. And don't mistake "slow burn" for boring. I was caught up in it the entire time and felt confused by other reviewers saying the pace was too slow. A great film and highly recommended.
  • v-macri - 16 November 2022
    Incredibly haunting film
    I think the low ratings are from people who can't sit still for longer than 4 minutes. This film has outstanding acting, fantastic cinematography and use of sound. It being based on a true crime case in Australia, makes it so much more heart wrenching. Viewers who aren't familiar with the case may not connect with the story as much, but every time they spoke about the victim I pictured poor Daniel's face.

    Yes the film is slow, yes it's fairly long, but true film lovers will have no trouble watching it. If you're out for a cheap, quick thrill then maybe skip this, but be aware you're missing out on an artfully executed film. My recommendation would be to put your phone down, sit back, and soak in the atmospheric piece. It's not action or jump scare packed but it is incredibly tense and haunting in the way real life can be.

    Again, shout out to the stellar performances from Joel Edgerton & Sean Harris, truly gripping!
  • thewalkingpuns - 9 November 2022
    a bit boring but good cast
    I did think by the premise the film would be a little bit more interesting. It was good for what it was. Two men on trial for the abduction and murder of a young boy. I did feel there was a certain complication with the plot as I found it a little hard to follow the journey. Henry meeting this stranger and the way he does. Sean harris plays the character, which joel edgerton is the stranger that he meets mark. The film felt very slow and the flashfowards were a little out of frame. There was not enough substence to make the movie entertaining but I still found myself watching it hoping for something. Overall not a great crime drama but it did have a pretty good cast overall which made it alright.