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Review: Strangers

— by WILLIAM STERR —

Laura (Sienna Guillory) has a problem. She is an American expat living in Sophia, Bulgaria, with her abusive, controlling husband, Tony (Emmett J. Scanlan). She feels her life is drifting away in the misery and fear of her marriage, and she has daydreams of killing her tormentor. Oh, and she is an alcoholic.

Aside from her weekly AA meetings, her only positive outlet appears to be occasional lunches with Richard (Jon Voight), another American expat. He is an elderly father figure who lives alone in a large, guarded house, loves to cook, and enjoys his visits with Laura at least as much as she does. He encourages her to expand her cultural horizons, and live her own life – including divorcing Tony.

One day, at the AA meeting, a handsome stranger appears and joins the group, sitting next to Laura. There is an immediate mutual attraction, and before long Laura and Sky (Jamie Bamber) begin a torid affair. Along the way, Laura discovers he is a “hit man” or, as Sky prefers to describe it, “a freelance problem solver” when the law proves inadequate at meting out justice. This, of course, strikes a chord with Laura and her worsening problem with Tony. She asks Sky if he ever does “pro bono” work?

Laura tells Richard about Sky, and the older man warns her to be careful, especially because of the kind of man she has found attractive in the past. However, she continues with Sky and ultimately, he tells her exactly how to rid herself of Tony.

Free, she follows Sky to New York City, where she becomes involved in his business of ridding the world of human “cockroaches.” She is the bait, he is the exterminator.

Writer Steven Paul (“Air Force One Down”) has given us an intriguing story with likable characters who often turn out to be something other than first appearances present. We have an appealing damsel in distress, a wise “father,” a mysterious paladin who follows his own internal morality, and a cast of disgusting men to be disposed of (a bit too conveniently).

Director Tony Dean Smith (“Mercy”) gets excellent performances from his seasoned cast. Especially effective are the scenes between Laura and Richard on one hand, and those between her and Tony on the other. Point and ugly counterpoint.

A particular bug-a-boo of mine is musical score. In lower budget films like this, the music is so often hardly musical at all – it is reduced to screeching disharmony. “Strangers” is a pleasant exception thanks to the work of Laurent Eyquem (“The Red Tent”).

Also of note is the cinematography by Ivan Vatsov, who captures the sumptuous interiors of Richard’s home, the Grand Hotel Sofia, and more.

This is an enjoyable tale of characters and situations at once familiar, yet handled with a deft touch. You will enjoy it. There are some loose ends here and there, and some mystery about what comes after the film ends – look for the intriguing smile that plays across Laura’s lips in the last frames.


Runtime: One hour, 40 minutes
Availability: Currently on VOD

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