The imdb describes the plot like so,: “A friendship forms between two strangers. For Henry Teague, worn down by a lifetime of physical labour, this is a dream come true. His new friend Mark becomes his saviour and ally. However, neither is who they appear to be, each carry secrets that threaten to ruin them and in the background, one of the nation's largest police operations is closing in.”
Right off the top, I should address the controversy surrounding “The Stranger”which happened a few weeks prior to MIFF starting. The reason for the controversy is, for those unaware, because “The Stranger” is based on the real life kidnapping and murder of 13 year old Daniel Morcombe back in 2003. When word got out in the press about this, Daniel's parents blasted the film and anyone involved with it, saying they were sick people to want to benefit from someone else's pain. Whilst you certainly feel for the parents and their reaction is justified, the criticism that followed around the film is totally unwarranted. While it is true that the film is based on that incident, the main aim of the film is to highlight the aftermath and the years-long investigation and undercover operation that the police conducted in order to obtain an arrest of the killer. It has nothing to do with the actual kidnapping or murder, and is entirely about the immense work the police did and the huge task of collaborating between multiple states, all in an attempt to get their man. The real life victim and his parents have been respected throughout with the murder never being presented onscreen and with all names being changed in the film.
Before even seeing a frame of Thomas M. Wright's “The Stranger”, I was aware of its supposed pedigree. Numerous ramblings and praise about the film I had heard whilst waiting between MIFF sessions. From the half-sentences and part-conversations I heard, it seemed almost everyone loved “The Stranger” and that it was one of the buzz-films of this year's MIFF. Word of mouth was so strong that by the time my session came around of “The Stranger” I was quietly anticipating and expecting it to impress.
However right from the opening frame, I seemed to have a complete negative reaction to the film. I didn't like the dark, smeary, muddy cinematography which also had a cheap digital appearance to it in some shots, and I struggled with Sean Harris's mumbling line delivery which at times bordered on incomprehensible. Coupled with that, I also found the early scenes involving the relocation of a certain criminal confusing and all a bit silly. I was stunned that I was hating “The Stranger” when all I had heard about the film was positive. And then it happened; I started to be drawn into the dark world onscreen, and before long I was mesmerised by the drama as well as the phenomenal performances. Suddenly things that I hated about the film, made sense. Yes, the visuals are dark and dreary but this mirrors the dangerous world being presented. And in regards to Harris's mumbling, I think both my ear trained to it causing me to understand him a lot better, and I also came to terms with the fact that his character of Henry would very probably speak exactly like this, and would not speak with perfect enunciation.
While my own prejudices initially seemed to demand it, writer / director Thomas M. Wright understood that the story he was telling was strong and powerful enough to not need to fall back on cinematic excess or over-stylisation. All he needed to do was to present the story as honest and realistically as possible, coupled with casting the right actors who could disappear into their roles and finally, creating the right amount of dramatic tension and atmosphere onscreen, and Wright does all of these things magnificently. The undercover world of “The Stranger” is such a dark and violent world that it would be terrifying for the average human, but which is daily life to these brave cops. Wright does an amazing job of recreating this world and making us feel the violence of it, without showing a single violent act onscreen. To me the greatest person at creating atmosphere in cinema is David Lynch, so it is high praise indeed when I say that there were moments that were downright Lynchian. Two brief moments in particular stand out, with the first being when Mark is at home with his young son, and due to his fear and paranoia of his work following him home, he thinks he sees the outline of Henry standing by his curtains, barely visible. The second moment takes place in a car, and ultimately turns out to be a dream, but it is absolutely chilling. Wright creates and controls atmosphere in a very similar manner to Lynch too, which is via his sound design. The other thing that Wright had to get right was to make the audience feel the progression of the case, and how the stakes rise the closer they get to an arrest. This is a very dangerous man they are trying to trap, and who they know has done some horrific things in the past, and we need to feel the weight of what making a mistake would mean in this world.
I mentioned that the casting also had to be perfect and let me just say that Joel Edgerton is outstanding in the role of Mark, the undercover cop assigned to get close with Henry. I have thought this for awhile now but at this moment, Joel Edgerton is Australia's greatest working actor, and the way he just disappears in this role only strengthens my belief. It is such a multifaceted role because his character is also acting the majority of the time and his life and the case relies on him being very believable when in the field. So we see Mark as a criminal befriending Henry, hearing more and more about his life and previous crimes, and pretending not to be affected by any of it, when in reality he is disgusted by it all. We then see a different side of Mark when he is amongst his peers on the force, when he can finally show the disgust and rage he feels for the man he has been forced to befriend, and then we see him at home “relaxing” with his son, and battling his mental demons from the case in private. It is a fantastic showcase for an actor, and I never once doubted the reality of Edgerton's performance for a second. He is just phenomenal! Sean Harris is just as good in his role of Henry too. He comes across as a dangerous, yet pathetic character, looking for a friend more than anything else. Harris presents Henry as a very nervous, and lonely sort of guy, socially inept, and as some one who would do anything for his friend without thinking of the consequences. We never see what he is like when he is alone, only when he is with Mark, but he never seems in total control, like he could go off at any second, either by fleeing or striking out violently. He is also someone who doesn't trust easily (understandable since he has so many secrets to hide), but at the same time he almost appears complicit in his own manipulation by the police in their attempts to get him to confess. Make no mistake though, through Harris's performance, you know that despite how pathetic and cowardly he comes across at times, Mark is a very dangerous man.
The thing that “The Stranger” really opened my eyes to was just how much work actually goes in to not only catching a killer, but to do so with enough physical evidence to ensure a conviction. In the film, the complete operation runs eight years and involves the co-operation of many police divisions across multiple states. Wright constructs his film in a manner where we watch both the undercover operation as well as normal officers, working to find a connection between Henry and the crime and trying to disprove his alibi, concurrently, which causes us to believe that it is all happening at the same time. Then Wright reveals his magic trick that what we are watching is not linear, and suddenly everything clicks into place and the brilliance of the film is revealed. It then highlights just how complex the operation truly is, and it even shows that scene from the beginning that I hated in a different light, which now makes complete sense.
“The Stranger” is such a success at exposing the reality of these undercover operations and exactly what these brave men and women really go through. Scenes of police pumping themselves up, rehearsing lines and key information before going into the field with Henry and having to act as natural as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. The best example of this is before the meeting they know they will get Henry to confess. The cop with Mark fumbles his lines multiple times and even drops a glass, due to the nerves of knowing that this is the moment they have worked eight years for, and if he messes it up it is all for nothing. The other aspect that really shocked me about undercover life, was watching Mark then having to go home on a nightly basis to his son, and attempt to lead a normal life. Edgerton does an excellent job of portraying Mark as a caring and loving father, but constantly on edge and fears the consequences of his work coming home with him. This is perfectly encapsulated in the terrifying scene when Mark plays an innocent game of hide and seek with his son. The mental toll on the men and women of the police force must be intense and it is no surprise that so many struggle with it.
Overall, “The Stranger” is just a sensational movie, and probably the best I have seen this year. It is not an easy watch, and it stays with you long after the credits have finished, but it is a powerful and realistic examination of just what the police have to go through at times in order to obtain an arrest of a dangerous criminal. Filled with fantastic performances, and impressive sound design, “The Stranger” is definitely a film that you feel, and I cannot recommend it enough; it is a phenomenal achievement.
4.5 Stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment