hnt_dnl I remember seeing roughly the last half of this movie WHEN STRANGERS APPEAR (2001) years ago on TV thinking one word...UNPREDICTABLE! Having seen it in full recently, I still go with that adjective. The viewer really doesn't know the twist until fairly late into the movie, and then the movie goes from methodical into overdrive! It works mainly because (A) it does an amazing job of infusing realistic doses of humanity into the thriller genre and (B) it is minimalist in it's presentation and (C) it is very well-written and acted. The movie introduces us to Beth (played convincingly by the talented Australian actress Radha Mitchell). Mitchell is one of the very few actresses that has repeatedly been able to draw me into her characters over the last 10 years or so. She always seems to play women that are tough, individualistic, resourceful, that still maintain their femininity (PITCH BLACK, ROGUE, SILENT HILL). There's an authenticity about the way she plays these characters. I find her a lot easier to watch than many "bigger" name actresses. Helps that she's hot as hell, too!Beth runs a diner and motel in a small "Oregon" burg near the beach. One morning opening the diner, a mysterious guy named Jack (Barry Watson in a effectively creepy performance). Jack has a surfboard on his car and seems headed for the beach; Beth is suspicious and grills him for info. Three "surfer" guys show up for breakfast. The "main" guy appears to be Peter (slyly and appealingly played by Josh Lucas). Jack hides out and explains to Beth after they leave that they are out to kill him. A skeptical Beth orders him out, but he has a flesh wound and passes out. She takes him to the local surgeon and then starts to investigate Jack's story. In the meantime, Beth finds herself drawn to Peter. Needless to say, there are several twists and turns along the way.The angle that really caught my attention is the relationship between Beth and Peter, which is very natural and convincing. They seem to really like each other aside from all the twists and turns and I kept thinking that under different circumstances, I could actually see them together! There's an interesting exchange between them near the end that I found to be strangely endearing and believable given the connection between them. Also, I liked the more platonic Beth-Jack relationship; she had an almost maternal instinct when it came to him.Although some of the turns in the story are a tad, shall we say, "convenient", the director times them in a very tongue-in-cheek manner that makes one smile rather than wince. Not to mention the leads Mitchell, Lucas, and Watson do a great job of "selling" the story. The 2 guys with Lucas are kind of underused and underdone as characters, But veteran actor Kevin Anderson gives a very strong turn as the dicey town sheriff Bryce, who has his own rather interesting connection to Beth. Beth's very different interactions with Jack, Peter, and Bryce are a strong point of the film.The ending is very tense, exciting, and ironic (you'll see!). There is a minimalist approach to film-making that I love about this flick as it relies primarily on somewhat lengthy scenes of character interaction and very little of that typical background music you hear in thrillers. The flick also has an otherworldly appeal/supernatural element as it takes place in isolation in the seeming middle of nowhere with VERY FEW people; makes the proceedings all the more scary. It also has that well-known Hitchcockian touch of the Macguffin plot point that in the end is really secondary to the main draw of the film, yet the Macguffin strangely still seems relevant and important somehow at the end...Highly recommended.

The_Void When Strangers Appear wasn't marketed very well to say the least - the trailer makes it out to be another Scream clone - and that's a real shame as this little thriller is an excellent film that really deserves to be more seen! New Zealand born director Scott Reynolds previously made the decent psychological thriller 'The Ugly', but with this film he really upped the bar. The beauty of When Strangers Appear is the fact that for most of the film, the audience never really knows what is going on, and that is exactly how a mystery thriller should be! The film starts off as we follow Beth to work. It seems like an ordinary (boring) day, until a strange drifter walks in. After giving him breakfast, he disappears when three surfers turn up. He claims that the surfers are following him and are also the reason for his stab wound. However, the trio of surfers have a very different story, as it transpires that the stranger appears to be a dangerous psychopath. After a shocking turn of events, Beth finds herself in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation.This film works thanks to the way that Scott Reynolds builds the atmosphere and tension. The central character, Beth, is very easy to feel for; while the supporting cast are all mysterious enough to generate interest themselves. The film is topped off by a whole host of brilliantly tense situations that help to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The bathroom scene is the biggest standout in this respect, and is positively nail biting! The isolated setting compliments the story excellently, and helps to build intrigue in its own right. The plot builds nicely throughout, and there's never a shortage of things happening. The fact that the film only features a handful of characters is certainly to its benefit too as it means that the film never loses its focus and this ensures that it's always easy to buy into the plot. It's true that When Strangers Appear isn't very substantial overall, but as a thriller it serves it's purpose well all the way up until the explosive ending and I see no reason why this film wont be enjoyed by anyone who takes the time to watch it. Very much recommended!

Jill_valentine I'd never heard of it before either, but it was on TV in the middle of the night, and I copped Radha Mitchell's name in the credits. Radha Mitchell could make a root canal an engaging watch, bless her heart.The story goes like this: Beth runs a diner and a motel on a desolate stretch of highway. She's a bitter loner, justifiably distrustful of the local authority and wildly unpopular with her neighbours. The only person who bothers speaking to her is the jealous hellbitch sending her hatemail. Her routine is broken by a scruffy, antsy stranger coming to the diner in a stolen car. Grateful for the interruption, and out of sheer bloody-mindedness towards the local lawfolk, Beth gives him a breakfast. She figures out that his agitation is closely linked to the fresh stab wound in his gut, but she figures this out just as more strangers arrive, this time a group of laid back surfers. Stranger #1 freaks out and threatens to kill her unless she hides him from the newcomers. Either the first guy or the second guys are nuts... which is it? What follows is sort of like... Duel, on foot. There's no background music, the desert locations are few enough to feel claustrophobic, Beth barely survives by only her wits and stubborn guts, and the questions just keep coming. Are the surfers a threat? Is the guy crazy? How did he get hurt? How come that fountain of gasoline looks so much like water, and how do three people and a stab victim brawl around in it without any irritation? Why is said gasoline so selectively flammable? Why does the local crazywoman hate Beth so much? Since when does Oregon have desert? But then it stumbles. After three quarters of a wire-tight, cat and mouse thriller, a major plot-point turns out to be largely redundant, and our characters get all MacGuyver on each other. It's a shame that the ending is so madly out of step with the rest of the film, but three quarters of a great film will do me fine, and Mitchell remains predictably and apparently effortlessly excellent, whether she's freaking out or fighting back.

princess7angel7 Wow...I tell you what I really liked this movie when i saw it. I was sitting home watching lifetime and this happened to come on. I was so enthralled by this movie i couldn't turn away from it. I love Josh Lucas in this movie. I had always been a huge fan of him, like it Sweet Home Alabama. But in this movie you got to see him act in a different way, he actually got to take on a darker roll. I didn't think that it would work but it totally did! This movie was full of twists and turns. Reading the other comments everyone says that they didn't like the ending but i thought that the ending was pretty good. How they made it switch on and on from person to person. It was a little bit hard to follow but in the end it made it all that much more worth it. I would definitely recommend this movie!