"The Stranger"

“The Stranger” is an Australian thriller based on an actual kidnapping and murder investigation from the late 2000s. The narrative follows an undercover agent striking up a friendship with the main suspect in the investigation while an interesting character study between the two develops. Written and directed by Thomas M. Wright in his sophomore directorial outing, the film is extremely well-acted, directed and edited. The story leaves a bit to be desired, however. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, “The Stranger”' was released on Netflix on Oct. 28, 2022.

The first thing that was apparent to me while watching is simply how cinematic this film is in comparison to many other films that are released on Netflix. “The Stranger” is chalked full of great shots, excellent sound design and performances. Watching this and “Prey for the Devil'' back-to-back, I couldn’t help but wish these films could have been swapped out as “The Stranger” would have been an excellent theater experience.

There are many instances of really creative sound distortion, directional uses of sound and sound levels being played with. These sound design decisions also correspond with solid editing choices throughout. Some smash cuts between scenes will be accompanied by an interesting increase in sound. These aren’t quite jumpscares; I’d argue they're more like startling moments that keep you engaged. The editing of the film is also quite good. Some artfully edited cuts convey the mood of certain scenes.

Joel Edgerton (Mark Frame) and Sean Harris (Henry Teague) are fantastic as the leads. There’s quite a bit of depth and weight that both are being asked to carry in their performances, and they knock it out of the park. Edgerton does a wonderful job portraying Frame as a conflicted character given that he is balancing being an undercover agent, being a father and the weight of his relationship with Teague. Harris is also asked to portray Teague as a conflicted character, making the audience unsure if he actually committed these crimes.

My main issue with the film is the tension present. We are told that Teague is the suspect. However, the sense of danger and fear that we as the audience feel is not very palpable. At most, this feels like an uneasy friendship between the two. While this is still a very successful film, I do wish the present danger that Mark was facing was felt throughout the entire runtime. While I do applaud the filmmakers for not overdramatizing this real investigation, I couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed. While films like David Fincher’s “Zodiac” do an exceptional job of respectfully portraying real-world events while simultaneously keeping tensions high, I don’t think that “The Stranger” is quite as successful.

The other minor issue with “The Stranger” is its overall pacing. It takes around 30 minutes until the plot truly starts moving forward. Once the 30 minute mark passes, the film does move forward at a slightly better pace. Though we are presented with some crucial character-building and story progression, I’m left wishing that the film committed to its central plot a bit faster.

Overall, “The Stranger” is a very solid, albeit slow, true crime thriller. Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris are equally fantastic as the co-leads. While I do wish that the tension was more palpable and the film jumped into its story a bit faster, “The Stranger” is undoubtedly a must-watch for fans of thrillers and true crime.

7/10