The Stranger (2014)

Disappointment for a huge fan!

Best movie ever!

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Although most critics gave this low ratings in spite of citing some good aspects, I found this movie to be much better than average because of its thoughtful, understated style which is a relief from so many vampire films in which the violence hides the subtler qualities. This film does have its violent moments (I thought the death of Caleb was one of the more interesting ways I have seen one vampire kill another), but they support the storyline instead of overwhelming it.The best quality I found in "The Stranger" was its way of continually maintaining a haunting, eerie suspense without letting it flag. I never knew exactly what was going to happen next or to where the film was leading me, although this is easier to see in hindsight of course. I also thought its minimalist approach to the portrayal of vampires as average people afflicted with a horrific, contagious disease was a refreshing relief from the clichéd motif of vampires as hyper-erotic, ultra-violent super-humans. The vampires here are average people tormented by an ailment that forces them to kill for blood while constantly threatened by incineration by the sun. The vampires here do not revel in evil and, other than being able to heal very quickly from mortal wounds, do not have supernatural abilities. This allows the viewer to become more sympathetic to their plight and to root for them when threatened by the antagonists.The plot is not overly innovative, but it manages to be a decent vehicle for the suspense.

'THE STRANGER': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)Horror flick from writer/director Guillermo Amoedo, and producers Eli Roth and Nicolas Lopez (the three also worked together on 'AFTERSHOCK', 'THE GREEN INFERNO' and 'KNOCK KNOCK'). This film tells the story of a mysterious stranger, with a deadly disease, who comes to town looking for his wife; but death and chaos follows him. The movie stars Cristobal Tapia Montt, Nicolás Durán, Luis Gnecco, Ariel Levy, Alessandra Guerzoni, Lorenza Izzo and Aaron Burns. It's an interesting and well made vampire drama flick.Martin (Tapia Montt) comes back home, to a small town, looking for his wife, Ana (Izzo). Instead he finds trouble, in the form of a gang of violent hooligans. Martin is attacked, and left for dead, by the criminals; but a young man, named Peter (Durán), comes to his rescue. A police officer, named Lieutenant De Luca (Gnecco), is the father of one of the gang members; and he's used to covering up his son's crimes. The Lieutenant is extremely troubled by the presence of this mysterious stranger. When the townsfolk learn what Martin's blood can do, things become even more crazy; and violent.The movie takes it's time getting going, but it's worth the wait. It's not full of excessive gore, like a lot of vampire flicks, but it's got enough action and thrills, to keep most viewers entertained. All of the performances are decent enough, and Amoedo does a more than adequate job directing. I look forward to seeing more from him, and the Roth/Lopez/Amoedo team, in the future!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/rHh87mlE5WQ

Must admit the trailer looked promising for The Stranger and the movie certainly had some interesting elements. I'll avoid spoilers however from the cover alone you can gleam a hint. It was really strange for me however as it almost seemed like some of the cast had their voices dubbed over, this was very strange as others sounded fine and I don't know why that happened but it was off putting as some of the cast subsequently (whether related or not) just seemed not to be doing a great job acting. So we ended up with a strange movie with a mixed cast of almost amateurs and some pros, very strange. I would have liked to know more of the how and why and less of the rather forced plot devices and characters. A shame as there really were some good elements to this horror movie however it all ended up a bit all over the show despite good efforts.

"Eli Roth presents…" and "from the writer of The Green Inferno" is what the poster of this film loudly and proudly proclaims… Writer/director Guillermo Amoede could perhaps benefit from his professional and personal link with Eli Roth for publicity and marketing reasons, but his very own long-feature "The Stranger" is definitely a lot more ambitious, fascinating and convoluted than anything that Eli Roth ever delivered himself! With "The Stranger", Guillermo Amoede single-handedly attempts to reanimate the sub- genre of vampire movies, complete with imaginative new ideas, profound character drawings and a thoroughly dark and harrowing atmosphere. The film perhaps didn't turn out to be a genuine masterpiece, but it's definitely a more than respectable attempt and one of the most unique and compelling horror efforts that I've seen during the past couple of years. "The Stranger" is also a very demanding film, with a tone that is continuously dead serious, sub plots and background stories that are all depressing and characters that are all melancholic. This surely isn't the type of movie that'll make you merry, especially because it also features a few very painful and 'unfair' death sequences, but it's guaranteed to leave some kind of lasting impression. Late one night in a remote little town, the 17-year- old graffiti vandal Peter receives a visit from a bearded stranger. He asks where he can find a certain Anna, but Anna has been dead and buried since many years. That same night, the stranger is attacked and killed by the local hoodlum Caleb and two of his friends. Peter witnesses the attack and alerts a patrolling police officer, but police officer De Luca is Caleb's dad and helps his son with hiding the body. But then the stranger miraculously turns out to be still alive and he aggressively refuses medical help from Peter and his nurse mother. Meanwhile Officer De Luca and Caleb found out that the body disappeared, so now they head out to kill both the stranger and Peter. This couple of sentences only covers a very small part of the convoluted plot. In fact, I already revealed a fairly major plot twist by stating that "The Stranger" is a vampire movie, since this only becomes apparent after a while. There is a lot more detailed subject matter related to the stranger's search for Anna, the link with Peter and the relationship between Officer De Luca and his troubled son. The scenario isn't always convincing or realistic. For example, I find it rather implausible that a corrupt police officer can sabotage a serious case so intensely and for so long without his colleagues interfering. The pacing is also quite slow, which might put off several viewers, but the slow pace definitely suits the sober ambiance and dark undertones. "The Stranger" also contains a bit of explicit violence and nasty make-up effects, so I won't immediately recommend it to squeamish people. However, if you have the stomach for it, and you're looking for a brutal thriller with a good plot, don't hesitate to check out "The Stranger".