‘The Stranger’ – Movie on Netflix – Review: Powerful and Captivating

The Stranger (2022)
Martin Cid Magazine Martin Cid Magazine

The Stranger is a movie written and directed by Thomas M. Wright, starring Joel Edgerton.

Premise

Two men who meet on a bus and strike up a conversation that turns into friendship. For Henry Teague, worn down by a lifetime of physical labor and crime, this is a dream come true.

Movie Review

Captivating, interesting, well carried out, dark. This is a thriller for the more grown audience members of this eclectic streaming platform.

The Stranger
The Stranger (2022)

Do you know those movies that manage to captivate due to the successful confluence of various elements that, also manages to carry its own trademark? Well, the name to mention when seeking a reference to such pieces is Thomas M. Wright, who in this, his second movie, has proven to have a distinct style of his own, and has successfully constructed a thriller that will captivate thanks to its premise, but especially, thanks to the atmospherics that give this film an indie feel, genre piece element, and also has a commercial aspect, which gives it a flavor of good cinema.

The Stranger engages from the beginning with its tempo, slow-paced, paused but always keeping the tension and intrigue. It does not take off with an over the top Hollywood scene, and its appeal lies in the presentation of its characters all the way through to the unfolding of the premise. It keeps us intrigued, and slowly but surely, injects a feeling of mystery with the characterization of this โ€œnew criminalโ€ all the while telling us multiple stories. It knows how to be intimate, and how to be tough, but it especially knows how to give a very unique take with a solid narrative foundation.

The Stranger
The Stranger (2022)

A very well crafted movie, technically speaking, with the dark hues in its photography, and a set-up that, without becoming โ€œa spectacleโ€, manages to stand out.

The performances are incredibly convincing, and the script carries an undeniably realistic trait.

Do film critics say that it simply โ€œworksโ€? It does, but it does more than just that. It has style and formโ€ฆ. Like a good single malt whisky.

Our Opinion

This film is good, going on very good. It knows how to play, seduce and entertain all at once. We definitely recommend it.

Release Date

October 19, 2022.

Where to Watch The Stranger

Netflix

Direction

Thomas M. Wright

Thomas M. Wright

Thomas Michael Wright (born 22 June 1983; Melbourne) is an Australian actor, writer, film director and producer. He is the co-founder (2006) and director of theatre company Black Lung and director of the feature film Acute Misfortune (2019). As an actor he came to attention in Jane Campion’s series Top of the Lake, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the (US-Canadian) Critics’ Choice Awards. He directed the thriller film The Stranger, which was screened in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and later in the Sitges Film Festival, receiving raving reviews.

Cast


Joel Edgerton / Mark

Sean Harris / Henry Teague

Jada Alberts / Detective Rylett

Fletcher Humphrys / Detective Ikin

Mike Foenander / Heavy Man

Steve Mouzakis / Paul

Simon Elrahi / Lieutenant

Alan Dukes / John

See full credits >>

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