2022 Directed by Thomas M. Wright
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.
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 Andreas Sobik Nick Buckland Violet Rowe Rachel Burke Lori Bell Lotte St. Clair Martha Lott Isabella Albani Heidi Jo Adam Ovadia Stephen Leeder
Anonymous Content See-Saw Films Screen Australia South Australian Film Corporation Blue-Tongue Films RocketScience
The Unknown Man, คนแปลกหน้า, 双面陌生人, 未知的男人, El extraño, غریبه, 더 스트레인저, Незнакомец, Idegenek egymás között, 陌路人, Neznámí, Ο Άγνωστος, O Desconhecido, Nieznajomy, أناس غرباء, Омана, ザ・ストレンジャー: 見知らぬ男, Neznanac, Tujec, הזר, Người Lạ Mặt, Nepažįstamasis, Непознатият
France
Cannes Film Festival
Australia
Melbourne International Film Festival
UK
BFI London Film Festival
AustraliaMA 15+
GreeceK12
Argentina+16
AustraliaMA 15+
France12
Germany12
Ireland15
Italy
Japan
SingaporeNC16
Spain16
Thailand
UK15
USANR
Argentina
Australia
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Singapore
Spain
Thailand
UK
USA
was trying to understand why this Netflix movie i was watching for review was so absorbing and well-crafted and then, about 5 minutes before it ended, i realized that it had premiered at Cannes. and that i had commissioned the great Sophie Monks Kaufman to review it, which she had done brilliantly. oh well, watching Sean Harris for 2 hours is never time wasted. and this has been a fascinating insight into my work life thank you.
Have never had such a full-bodied reaction to a film. Through haunting sound design and tension that rarely gets relieved, I felt on the edge of a panic attack for the entire film. Overwhelmed by this exploration of Australian crime and bleakness of evil that lurks in our country.
Despite not even showing one frame of grizzly or gruesome imagery, this disturbed me more than any equivalent works in this field of genre. All achieved through powerful cinematic technique.
Acute Misfortune, for me, was a groundbreaking work in understanding Australia’s fascination with disturbed or dangerous men. Wright feels like our most necessary male voice currently exploring in the dark.
Truly was a tremendous honor to host the AACTA screening and Q&A with Thomas M. Wright in Sydney.
Breathe in the clean air, and breathe out the blackness.
The Stranger is a dark, sparse film with two incredible lead performances. It manages to keep the viewer on a knife’s edge without drawing a drop of blood. Sean Harris is phenomenal as Henry Teague, a murder suspect befriended by Mark, an undercover cop played by the increasingly impressive Joel Edgerton. Most of The Stranger is encased in grey shadow and darkness (even scenes in broad daylight don't feel particularly bright) as the two conversate and complete various tasks in the criminal underworld of the Australian outback. Harris does a ton of work with his serpentine eyes and Edgerton meets him at every step with a gruff bravado. I haven't read…
The Aussies are the undisputed masters of the grounded exploration of crime, whether it's through uncompromising portrayals of real events like "Nitram" and "Snowtown", or renditions tinged with humor like "Chopper" and "The Magician", their unwillingness to place bias and comfort with their own criminality always creates works of great perceptive understanding that brilliantly confronts situations of a relentlessly disturbing nature. "The Stranger" resembles other Aussie thrillers in the vein of 2008's "The Square" and/or "Animal Kingdom" (both involving my boy Joel Edgerton), with a particular muted yet commanding tone that absorbs everything in its path. And while "The Stranger" doesn't achieve the utter greatness of some of the films mentioned earlier, the outstanding ponytail duo and a meticulously crafted police procedure makes for a Netflix print more than worthy of respect.
A monotonous unfolding drone of a film fueled by equal parts grounded and unsettled performance.
Succeeds most in how it lets it narrative unwind, keeping you in the dark until very late in the game.
The main downfall is that it feels like it slowly runs out of steam instead of escalating in tension. The film's sense of mystery dissipates as the real mystery is revealed.
Bleak; dark; dull; overlong; restrained; slow; understated; underwhelming; unsatisfying; well-crafted.
A great slow burn cop(aganda) drama. Meticulously constructed shots, excellent sound design (with a great score), a pair of understated performances by Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris.
Tense as hell. The nightmare scenes will scare the hell out of you.
Is it just me, or does it seem like there should be more to the fact that Harris and Edgerton constantly dress similarly? It's as though Edgerton's Mark has become so immersed in his undercover work that he and Harris' Henry have become one and the same.
Definitely a picture that tests your endurance; it succeeds at times but drags out for longer than it has to, and it feels like it should have been trimmed by at least ten or fifteen minutes. The performances are excellent, especially Harris' as this creepy, awkward man - although Edgerton is not far behind. The cinematography is unquestionably the strongest aspect of the film, particularly the nightmare sequences. The music is excellent, serving the film well.
All in all, the film has its strengths, and those who like slow-building psychological thrillers may appreciate it despite its occasional dullness.
TODAY SCHEDULE
The Stranger
Coven
13 Tzameti
Beyond Skyline
aussie police took a little too much inspiration from chris hansen’s ‘to catch a predator’ with this one
THE STRANGER is a slow-burn crime thriller from Thomas M. Wright. The jarring smash cuts alongside the blistering sound work create a sense of unease that carries its way through the dark narrative as the tension grows. Sean Harris & Joel Edgerton are utterly gripping throughout.
Joel Edgerton is an arranger,
Pretending to be "The Stranger".
So he'll entrap,
And try not to snap,
When scoping out all of the danger.
Boring. Pretentious. Ugly.
I dunno, I was looking forward to this as the real life case it’s based on is one I have followed, I’ve read the books, watched the documentaries etc etc, but this end result of a film is just so damn boring to watch. It feels so sluggish and lacklustre, with the most pretentious and oh look at me and how arty and cool I am kind of filmmaking direction choices. Trying hard to replicate Justin Kurzel vibes and not delivering.
The acting was really good. Music was also used quite well in some scenes. Overall, a big disappointment for me.
I highly recommend the book, The Sting, by Kate Kyriacou.
