With: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Jada Alberts, Cormac Wright, Steve Mouzakis, Matthew Sunderland, Fletcher Humphrys, Alan Dukes, Ewen Leslie
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Written by: Thomas M. Wright, based on a book by Kate Kyriacou
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Directed by: Thomas M. Wright
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Running Time: 117
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Date: 10/19/2022
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Subtle Bus
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
This quiet, sly crime movie is yet another gem from Australia's Blue-Tongue collective, which gave us Animal Kingdom (2010), The Gift (2015), and many others. The Stranger is a slippery procedural, peeling back layer after layer to reveal an elaborate, yet rickety, house of cards. It begins when two men, Paul (Steve Mouzakis) and Henry (Sean Harris) meet on a bus. They strike up a friendship, and Paul tells Henry about another friend, Mark (Joel Edgerton), who might have work for him. It would entail joining a close-knit criminal organization, but Henry is reluctant, saying that he doesn't "do violence," adding that he has a past that he would rather leave behind. Then, Paul is unceremoniously ousted from the organization, as Henry and Mark begin to form a friendship. Based on a non-fiction book by Kate Kyriacou, The Stranger expertly doles out just enough information to keep us riveted. Director Thomas M. Wright maintains a muted, no-nonsense atmosphere, forgoing fireworks in favor of cold realism (and featuring a great deal of facial hair).
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