Overview
A chance encounter on a bus leads to a friendship that spirals into a web of paranoia and investigation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- paranoid
- brooding
- late night viewing
- true crime marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, accomplished, and psychologically intense crime drama, while noting that its oblique, arty treatment can feel more demanding than conventional true crime.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mark Frame develops a friendship with Henry Teague as part of a prolonged undercover murder investigation.
The film emphasizes restrained performances, bleak spaces, and intimate observation over sensationalized crime imagery.
The fictionalized account omits the victim's name and murder details while focusing on the undercover police operation.
Henry experiences the relationship as meaningful while Mark's closeness is instrumental to the investigation.
Films like The Stranger, and why
The Departed
undercover investigation, institutional pressure, restrained crime drama, and moral ambiguity
Zodiac
methodical cold case investigation, austere atmosphere, psychological tension, and procedural focus
Donnie Brasco
undercover police operation, criminal infiltration, paranoia, and grim psychological intensity
Memories of Murder
true-crime basis, oppressive mood, oblique storytelling, and investigative obsession
Movie Details
- Director
- Thomas M. Wright
- Release Date
- 2022-10-06
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (437)
Cast
- Joel Edgerton
- Sean Harris
- Jada Alberts
- Fletcher Humphrys
- Mike Foenander
- Steve Mouzakis
- Simon Elrahi
- Alan Dukes
- Ewen Leslie
- Matthew Sunderland
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Stranger about?
- An austere Australian crime thriller turns a carefully cultivated friendship into a high-stakes undercover investigation of an unsolved murder.
- What is The Stranger like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Stranger as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Stranger violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Stranger as mild.
- What did critics think of The Stranger?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, accomplished, and psychologically intense crime drama, while noting that its oblique, arty treatment can feel more demanding than conventional true crime.
- Which films are like The Stranger?
- Films with a similar feel include The Departed, Zodiac, Donnie Brasco, and Memories of Murder.
- How long is The Stranger?
- The Stranger runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Stranger?
- In United States, The Stranger streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
