The Stranger - Lo straniero

The stranger is a good solid film with an enjoyable story however the cinematography and direction is poor to say the least, in fact the opening scene almost put me completely off, you need to allow 15 or so minuets to get into the film. this film doesn't really have that many big action set pieces and is more concerned with telling a mysterious tale than getting our adrenaline racing. Flashbacks abound as snippets of memory keep darting through Austins head, mostly centered on his wife and daughter apparently being killed while he's mixed up in some dangerous sting operation. We're teased with such scenes numerous times during the film as much of Austins struggle is more internal than external. But while it's not that hard to piece much of it together ourselves, it's interesting to watch the characters slowly unravel the secrets of Austins identity and discover a few other startling surprises as well. All actors put in a good performance most notably Austin in his third leading role its clear that if he takes the right career path and keeps giving these kind of performance he should soon be a star of the silver screen. this is not an action film. overall a good watch just a shame about the director.

i found this Steve Austin vehicle to be mostly boring,with a bit of mild action here and there.there was one twist i wasn't expecting.Austin was pretty decent here in the acting department,but for me,Adam Beach stole the show.too bad the show wasn't worth stealing.i had to fight tot keep my eyes open for this one.i wouldn't recommend it.there's a lot of talking going on and not much else.and the dialogue isn't that great either.i'd give this one a miss unless you're a die hard Steve Austin fan.i'm he's probably done better work than this,although this is the first film i've seen of his.anyway,for me,The Stranger is a low 4/10

"The Stranger" is a routine, adequate action thriller that mostly works as a vehicle for wrestling star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Stone Cold plays the title role, a bad ass who keeps changing his identity and line of work as he travels cross country. The earnest psychiatrist who hopes to help him recover his true identity is Grace Bishop, played by Erica Serra. The other recurring character in his life is Mason Reese (Adam Beach), an FBI agent who also seems to know a whole lot.

Stone Cold actually isn't the problem here. He has a strong screen presence, but also does not embarrass himself when it comes to acting. He gets to speak multiple languages, as well. The supporting actors - Ron Lea, Viv Leacock, and Jason Schombing as various Federal agents - are decent enough, with Beach an obvious standout. The movie can't be faulted in terms of pacing, but the story (by Quinn Scott) is patently predictable and pretty ridiculous. What makes "The Stranger" hard to watch much of the time is the overused technique of rapid fire editing and chaotic camera movement. You just wish the picture would stay still.

The movie (mildly) amuses, and is instantly forgettable.

Although set in the United States, it's all too clear that it was shot in Canada.

Five out of 10.

First of, I am going to clearly state that I am not a fan of Steven Austin's acting, though this movie was less tolerable than the movie "The Condemned".

Well, this movie didn't all together suck. It had a fairly average story. I sat through the entire movie, and was waiting for something big to happen. It sort of seems like the story wants to take on a bit too much at one time, and it doesn't come together fully throughout the movie. There was a relative good pace to the plot, and lots of action and fighting.

However, the acting in the movie was mediocre at best. And here I am clearly hinting at Austin's performance.

If you like action movies and you like Steve Austin, fine, go for this movie. But if you want action and doesn't really care about Austin, then you might be better off picking another movie entirely. There are lots of other actions movies out there, and far better ones as well.

Some action flick of sorts. FBI, automatic weapons, and a few explosions. The fight scenes are strangely wooden. The actor Steve Austin used to be in show wrestling (fake fighting) This shows in most action scenes where you expect Steve to go into Hulk position (hold invisible ball and shake your chin). Obviously he was hired because of his burly physique, not his martial skills. Looks like a B movie with a bigger budget. Adding: Obligatory sweaty torture scenes in slow motion. Short range shoot-out scenes with hundreds if bullets without any causalities. If you don't like it, stop watching half way. It doesn't get better.