Stranger (2022) – review, opinion about the movie [Netflix]. The culmination of an eight-year chase

Henry and Paul met on the bus. A chance acquaintance helps the first new person to isolate himself from old problems, from a secret that has been hidden for years. However, what he doesn’t know is that his new friends are also hiding a big and dangerous secret. If either party discovers the secret of the other, it means the end of their relationship and their life so far [lekkie spoilery].

Thomas M Wright is not a successful director. In fact, before today’s movie, he had only done a biopic of one Australian artist, which had been seen by several hundred people in all. He’s played in quite a few productions, so he basically knows the job of an actor. He also clearly understands how to keep the viewer interested, otherwise he would not have chosen Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris for the lead roles, two great actors with such charisma and weight behind their eyes that they can make any character the most interesting person in the room. The two men look strikingly alike on the set (at least in this movie). As if they were the same person at different stages of life. I have no idea if that was intended, or just happened that way, but as a result, it adds another interesting layer to their characterization.

The Stranger 2022 movie review, with subtitles [Netflix]. Known story

The thing was based on real events. In 2003, a 13-year-old Australian boy was waiting for a bus when someone approached him and offered him a ride. Unfortunately for him, the kid agreed. No one ever saw him alive again. An incredibly complex investigation involving many different law enforcement agencies has come to an end after eight years. Today’s video is a dramatization of his last months, and it revolves around how the police found the suspects and then managed to arrest the suspects.

The plot itself is fairly straightforward as it revolves around a real high profile case. From the very beginning, we know roughly how the whole thing is going to turn out, so in fact the entire brunt of the story rests on the shoulders of the duo of main characters. It’s a bit of a problem, because just as both gentlemen are lovely and lovely to watch together, they wouldn’t make two hours out of nothing. The beginning is interesting, both visually and in the context of what is actually happening. The finale picks up a strong pace as we await how and how our kidnapper will be caught. The middle…the middle is basically a slow methodical bait casting. Very logical, although it is difficult to estimate due to the editing, which I will talk about in a little bit, but it is also very slow, very slow. I’m sure you could cut 20-30 minutes out of the movie and it wouldn’t affect the plot in any way, it would just improve the pace of the story.

The Stranger 2022 movie review, with subtitles [Netflix]. Great acting and poor editing

The movie tries to hide the simplicity of its plot by jumping around plots and timelines. It’s so poorly put together that it leaves the viewer feeling lost for half of a good movie. Even after watching everything, you have to make an effort to put the whole story together. The fact that we start with the scene on the bus makes sense, since the creators are trying to build an aura of mystery around the character. We don’t know who he is, what’s going on, and we’re supposed to empathize with him. However, it soon becomes clear what and how, why jump from one thread to another, from the future to the past and back? The investigation itself and its structure are interesting, but the way it’s presented means that when the creators finally tell us quite clearly what and how, we’re either too confused to understand it, or we simply don’t care anymore. Along the way, we watch bits of interrogations, phone calls, and the private life of Mark played by Edgerton, Henry’s (Harris) best friend, the nightmares that torment him, and the jobs men do together for their bosses. There’s a good movie somewhere in this scenario. It will just need to be reassembled.

A key element of The Stranger is the relationship between the main characters and how it changes them both. Henry at first seems to be a utterly distrustful grunt – either too withdrawn or completely ill. Mark, on the other hand, is a very down-to-earth, concrete, action-focused guy. However, over time, due to spending a lot of time together and working together, both gentlemen open up to each other. They begin to trust each other, take care of each other. The hitherto secretive Henry even invites Mark for a drink at his house – an important breakthrough in their relationship, since at first he didn’t even want Mark to know where he lived. However, what really catches our eye is the truth just below the surface. Both are not who they say they are, but one is well aware of this and actively tries to extract this information from the other, while ensuring that his secret remains undetected. This leaves a very strong imprint on the undercover cop’s psyche, and in these scenes, when the curtain falls and we see a real man, and not a carefully rehearsed role, the actor simply shines. Unfortunately, these scenes – especially the nightmares – add unnecessarily to the chaos on screen, so they’re a rare case of the pros and cons of a movie.

Stranger tells an incredibly interesting story in a very unsubtle and somewhat devastating way. Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris literally won’t let you take your eyes off the screen, but the plot’s chaotic and incredibly slow pace makes it a show that’s hard to recommend to anyone. It’s certainly an interesting production, but you need to be in the right mood and be able to fully focus on the movie if you want to enjoy it.