The Stranger

Thomas M. Wright, in the director's chair for the first time, delivers an unoriginal, but quite entertaining, story of police infiltration and the attempt to get a confession from a criminal who murdered a child. Unfortunately, his inexperience is evident and despite having the A-list duo of Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris with great chemistry, a fine dirty atmosphere, authentic costumes and the label "based on a true story", he didn't quite hit the mark. The rather extensive and complex operation that took place at the time in an attempt to convict the killer is surprising, as well as the two leads and the attempt to portray the criminal environment realistically and authentically, but I still feel that we didn't get that much out of those two hours. There's a drastic lack of action or momentum, too much "just" talking and nothing really happens throughout, so I'm a bit disappointed, wondering why I should recommend this film to others. And I can’t find an answer. Still, it's an okay digestible average, the kind of stuff Netflix is churning out one after another. (10/20/2022)

Despite the slow pace, the atmosphere was masterfully crafted. I was on edge the whole time, waiting for something important to happen in the very next moment. However, the story just kept rustling along, promising something grand, only to fizzle out in the end. It felt like a bit of trickery on the creators' part. / Lesson learned: Life's not fair; a thriller set in Australia, and not a kangaroo in sight. (04/18/2024)

A crime-drama/thriller from Australia based on true events. I was looking forward to The Stranger, but I'm not so happy with the result. It's a slow burn (extremely slow) where an undercover cop tries to get a confession from a murderer who kidnapped and murdered a child. Joel Edgerton is classically great and Sean Harris is also a great actor, he may be the one it all relies on. The downright interesting stuff starts with the police operation once the proper Australian manhunt begins (it is the biggest manhunt in Australian history). The investigation and evidence gathering is reminiscent of Zodiac, and in that way the film is interesting, but it's still pretty much an unengaging, drawn out affair. Personally, it lacks the violence or any downright violent scenes for me to be satisfied, it fizzles out like that, but it's not a bad film at all, it just manages to win over a very patient audience. 5.5/10. (10/21/2022)