thegulls1 This popped up on Netflix--so, I gave it a try. The setting for this noirish yarn is post World War II & Edward G Robinson is attached to an American 'War Crimes' group hunting escaped Nazis, in this case, Orson Welles. Welles plays a guy who has covered his tracks pretty thoroughly, and ended up in a small American town as a Professor, of sorts. He marries the pretty daughter (Loretta Young) of a judge, and looks to be scot-free. Welles is compelling, as usual, always bringing something unique to his roles, esp. as a bad guy. I loved his brief but outstanding contributions to another film noir, THE THIRD MAN. Robinson plays a friendly, but determined, investigator, in this entry after his 'tough hood' portrayals of the 30's but before his classic 'Johnny Rocco' role in the mid-fifties classic KEY LARGO. (Robinson was one of those who found his workload dwindling after accusations by the House UnAmerican committee, post WWII. Jimmy Stewart came to his aid to see that he got work in 10 COMMANDMENTS. I read this in Stewart's bio). This unusual role for Robinson was probably one of the few decent ones all he could pick up in this era, and he does a fine job.I enjoyed this unique yarn, but, whereas I could watch Third Man many times, the Stranger is kind of a 'one-off'. 7/10

thursdaysrecords Edward G. Robinson is perfectly cast as the relentless detective, determined to capture evil Nazi War criminal Orson Welles. Loretta Young is somewhat annoying as the newlywed who seems almost hypnotized by and devoted to Welles, who reveals to her his mean spirit in almost every shared scene. Although very much "formula" and predictable, the film does have it's shining moments. Clever editing gives several key scenes very effective visual and audible transitions. The character of the ever checkers-playing town gossip/shop keeper/phramacist etc. is a delight. True to Hayes Code norms, husband and wife sleep in separate beds, and you can rest assured that "God don't like ugly", a foregone conclusion depicted quite appropriately toward the end. This film may be dated in many ways, but credit is due to Welles', for handling the gritty topic of Nazi War Crimes so soon after WWII ended and the world learned the truth about Hitler's Holocaust. This is no Double Indemnity or Citizen Kane, or even Third Man, and it certainly isn't Loretta Young's finest hour, but for fans of Classic Hollywood, "The Stranger" is still well worth a bag of pop corn and a Coke. Enjoy!

steffaneybenson This movie was OK to me . Not my type of movie. A little slow but it does have a good context behind the whole thing and some good parts like the juicy details they speak upon one another in secret and great actors as well. This movie also had good lighting and camera angles as well.

persianlax Before watching this I did some research and learned this was a more mainstream and traditional attempt at movie making by Welles, however I can still pick up all his signature techniques and styles and thought it helped make this classic noire film shine and really be a hidden gem. Unique camera angles and clever lighting. Welles possess this larger than life screen presence that we have grown accustomed to, even when his film threatens to lose credibility, by becoming too extreme or unbelievable, the dialogue or plot becoming almost too extreme or unrealistic, his masterful acting and directorial grasp keep it steady and the audience glued to the screen making it still very believable story Great cinematography, the use of shadows really makes this thriller better than the average classic. What really is signature Welles is the tension and thrilling of a story it is. You know what the good guy and the bad guy are planning, but you don't know who's going to act first, or who's going to get hurt when they do. At any moment you are waiting for a confrontation and after every tense scene you figure it is time where true identities will be revealed. The ending was suiting to, I thought to get impaled by a sword on a clock tower and to fall to his death was a suitable death for the Nazi