The Stranger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie Review

A direct-to-video Action film earns a midlevel Blu-ray release from Starz/Anchor Bay.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 26, 2010

You won't remember any of this because your mind won't let you.

What's the best way for a direct-to-video movie to find an audience? Hire an actor who's already got one, and indeed, that's the main selling point with The Stranger. Director Robert Lieberman's (Fire in the Sky) latest film stars former WWE wrestler-turned-Action movie star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (The Condemned) as an undercover agent with amnesia, a fitting theme considering that The Stranger barely makes any sense. A movie that was shot on the cheap and through the limitations of a time crunch, The Stranger never finds a pace -- or a plot, for that matter -- but it works as a mindless Action flick that's got plenty of Stone Cold doing what he does best: beating the snot out of bad guys. The movie's technically sound if not visually boring, and the acting is subpar but acceptable for a direct-to-video release. It's world's better than Megafault and War of the Worlds 2: Next Wave, but then again, so is watching paint dry while listening to someone run their fingers over a chalkboard during a root canal in the middle of a nuclear test site.

A hero emerges.

A federal agent (Austin) has lost his memory after suffering serious emotional and physical trauma. With his world in shambles and armed only with memory fragments that slowly begin to shed light on his true identity -- he's a skilled fighter, speaker of several languages, an expert fisherman, and plenty of angry people want him dead -- he turns to the one person whom he remembers how to contact, his doctor, Grace Bishop (Erica Cerra). Working side-by-side with Federal Agent Mason Reese (Adam Beech, Windtalkers), Grace attempts to reel in her client but also protect him from a world that he doesn't understand. He and Grace slowly unravel his past and learn of the many deadly secrets that not only cost him his identity, but all he holds dear. As he pieces together his past in an effort to salvage what's left of his life in the present, a web of lies and deceit that involve both the FBI and the Russian mob slowly but surely come into focus in a race against time to save lives and exact vengeance for past wrongs.

Though it delivers a few scenes of brutal graphic violence, The Stranger plays things pretty straight; visually, the picture features plenty of handheld camera work and some deliberately gritty imagery for that "up close and personal" feel that's supposed to enhance the tension of any given scene, but the picture forgets to combine those elements with a plot that makes sense and characters worth cheering for, two factors that ultimately negate any stylistic and thematic advantages that might have otherwise arisen from Lieberman's direction. That's really the film's problem in a nutshell: nothing really works -- even when it should -- because the plot is so scattered and hard to follow that audiences will either be working overtime to piece the movie together or, in the worst case scenario, simply bored to tears with the whole thing, even when there's punching and kicking and running and gunfire and blood on the screen. The Stranger never really gels, and there's little structure to the picture. It's hard to keep track of when and where everything is taking place, and based on context clues, it seems that at least once the film itself becomes confused as to the "when" of an event, but it's just too hard to tell one way or the other. Movies like The Stranger shouldn't be this complicated, and the fault doesn't necessarily lie in the story; instead, the problem is a jumbled structure and far too many flashback scenes, most of which are repeated over and over again, particularly during the climax which goes something like this: "What's the code?" (flashback). "Give me the code!" (series of flashbacks). "I'll give you to the count of three to give me the code! (pretty much the same series of flashbacks).

Though The Stranger lacks in originality, a coherent plot, and technical spit and polish, it's still a serviceable Action romp that doesn't dare go beyond a relatively safe comfort zone of B-grade Action movie cliché. Boring to a point, clunky, and offering absolutely nothing new to its genre, The Stranger exists as little more than a frame in which to show some gratuitous violence and as a showcase for Steve Austin's talents. The wrestler-turned-actor, as he does in most of his roles, turns in a decent enough performance. Austin excels in playing brutish and fairly shallow characters -- even his "amnesia" character in The Stranger gives him cart blanche to run around and beat people up without the hindrance of character development -- that don't challenge him beyond the physical realm. He's never going to win an Oscar, but for a movie like this, his performance is just fine, commendable, even, within the scope of what he's asked to do. The rest of the cast is universally bland; Erica Cerra looks good and, like Austin, pulls off her less-than-challenging part well enough, but the picture's third in its trio of lead actors, Adam Beach, stumbles about and delivers a gradually-decaying performance where, by picture's end, he's in full robot mode. No matter, The Stranger wasn't built as a showpiece for good actors; it's a dumb Action movie that doesn't make much sense, and while it's competently made by a director with a few decent films under his belt, it smartly never tries to be anything more than a budget- and script-limited DTV movie.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Stranger lumbers onto Blu-ray with a serviceable 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The Stranger is the victim of a limited production budget, and the film's meager origins are readily evident in its paltry transfer. Though it's more often than not technically proficient, The Stranger just isn't a very handsome film; it's glossy video sheen is absent a pleasant film-like texture, and the image appears consistently flat with overpowering blacks and bland colors. Fine object detail looks fine on close-ups of textured surfaces and brighter outdoor scenes demonstrate a clear, sharp picture that never goes soft but never wows the eyes, either. Many interior scenes take on a decidedly green tint, though this seems a stylistic choice on the part of the filmmakers. Banding is evident in several shots, though other technical bugaboos don't present much cause for alarm. The Stranger's unremarkable transfer is more a reflection of its budget than Anchor Bay's Blu-ray transfer, but those looking for the latest and greatest in eye candy will be disappointed.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Stranger powers onto Blu-ray with a commendable PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. This one's fairly loud but not crazy; the picture opens with hard rock notes blasting through the listening area with excellent precision and clarity even through the raw volume of the sound. Guitar riffs slice through the speakers, and the music is supported by a back-channel presence, even though it's drowned out by the front three's power. Additionally, the surround speakers are utilized here and there to deliver a touch of ambience, be it flowing traffic in one scene or blaring emergency sirens in another, but the track never quite manages to create a completely seamless environment. Action scenes sound good, too; a shootout in chapter eight features a fair back-channel presence, and the shots themselves crackle and echo nicely. Dialogue reproduction is smooth and strong, making The Stranger a good all-around soundtrack and the unequivocal highlight of this disc.

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Stranger's supplements include 'The Stranger:' Behind the Scenes (1080p, 5:55) and the film's trailer (1080p, 1:45).

The Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Stranger is pretty much the epitome of the straight-to-video Action film. It's not all that good, but it's a serviceable movie that's best enjoyed with no expectations and on a rainy day when there's nothing better to do. Although it's a bit hard to follow, it's technically sound given the time constraints and low budget, and the action is decent enough for what it is: 90 minutes of a bloodied "Stone Cold" Steve Austin running around and beating people up. It's far better than some other direct-to-video disasters, but it's also a far cry from most any mainstream, moderately-budgeted Action flick. This Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray release of The Stranger features a decent 1080p transfer, a good uncompressed soundtrack, and minimal extras. DTV connoisseurs and Stone Cold fans will want to pick this one up, while others would be smart to rent.