187. The Stranger (1946)

Directed By Orson Welles

Synopsis

A Nazi war criminal hides in small town Connecticut, being pursued by a UN detective, who eventually gets him.

Review

Any film that Orson made is a good film, he never reaches the heights of Citizen Kane again, if it is beginner's luck or something we will never know. But he did know how to make films and this is another example of that.

This is a supremely stressful film, it manages to keep the suspense up throughout the whole thing, like a very good Hitchcock film. The directing is expertly done as you would imagine and the acting is always superb. No one does a bad guy quite like Orson Welles and Edward G. Robinson is always likeable as the good guy, much like he was in Double Indemnity.

This is a film that keep you gripped until the quite predictable ending, even if the ending is predictable, however, the story is never less than interesting, being carried by a really great cast. Something you really shouldn't miss.

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

It is believed that this is the first film released after World War II that showed footage of concentration camps. The Stranger was the only film made by Welles to have been a bona fide box office success on the first release (Citizen Kane had made back its budget and marketing, but not enough to make a profit).

Trailer: