The Stranger

Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass. It's surprising how ridiculously naïve this film is. And no, it's not in the slightest because of the year when it was made. It works well mainly thanks to the camerawork and Welles, who is able to make his character into something that was not in the script. An average noir flick that is a reflection of its time, with exceptional acting and some beautiful black-and-white scenes that will keep lingering in your mind and an amazing (albeit overly dramatic) ending. (08/05/2020)

A stylish spectacle full of suspense and culminating in a heart attack finale in a church tower. Orson Welles is even more unsympathetic as the escaped Nazi than as Charles Foster Kane (and that's saying something), and his character behaves beautifully unpredictably. As a director, Welles managed to keep me perfectly glued to the screen for an hour and a half. The poor picture quality didn't hurt the film either. (17/11/2014)

Although a quality film, The Stranger is also the embodiment of many filmmaking techniques that today I find ridiculous and outdated. The simple story is told at a frantic pace (which is accentuated even in tense moments by the overly opulent score) and doesn't leave much room for fleshing out the characters, whose development is either very predictable (Loretta Young) or virtually non-existent and clearly defined from the beginning (Detective Robinson and the villain Welles). The suspense is built only half way, as the ending is guessable from about the middle the film, and Welles actually deserves a lot of praise for the fact that even with the lack of a mystery motif or a surprise moment, he managed to keep my attention with just a clever game of cat and mouse, waiting a long time for the right moment to set the trap. The strongest element of the film, however, remains, even considering how the long-planned trap ultimately fails more than unconvincingly, the church clock tower, which not only had an important significance for the development of the story, but also provided the stage for a truly memorable and unforgettable finale. 65% (29/07/2015)

Orson Welles is a film genius to me. Not only because he directed something like "Citizen Kane", but primarily because he was such a talented creator in every aspect. In the film "The Stranger", he excels as an actor, only to culminate the film as a director in the spirit of monster movies. And he pulls it off, just like the classic dark shadows of a noir film. At times, "The Stranger" towards the end truly becomes a horror experience thanks to the camera and visuals. (30/09/2014)