A Stranger Among Us (1992)

“With due respect, sir, inside every honest man, there’s a thief trying to get out… ” – Emily

Number of Times Seen – Between 3 – 5 times  (Theater in 92, cable and 14 Jun 2015)

Brief Synopsis – A female detective is sent undercover in the Hassidic community in Brooklyn following a murder connected to the diamond trade.

My Take on it – I recall seeing this movie in the theater 23 years ago and subsequently once or twice on cable.  I didn’t have the fondest memories of it, but decided to give it another try nevertheless.

I shoulda left things as they were in my mind….

I was horrified at the way this movie depicted Hassidic and Jewish life.  Being familiar with both, I couldn’t believe the things that they chose to show because when taking something out of its proper context, it might not be understood in the proper way.

It seems that certain scenes and dialogue were solely added to make this film more controversial instead of trying to have a “Jewish Witness (1985)”

The mystery is quite superficial and this would have been served much better as a TV show on any of the plethora of procedurals that one can find.

Melanie Griffith was quite annoying in her role here and she does an awful job IMHO.

I would’ve expected much more from famed Director Sidney Lumet, but I guess everyone is entitled to a bomb here or there.

Suffice it to say, skip this one.

Bottom Line – Below average detective mystery that feels more like it should have been made as an episode of any TV procedural instead of a full length movie. Being familiar with the Hassidic community and Judaism as a whole, many scenes and dialogue feel too disjointed from reality and it feels as if they were added solely to add controversy. Griffith is terrible here and is quite unbelievable in her role. The entire story feels hollow and I would have expected more from Lumet.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – James Gandolfini’s film/television debut. (From IMDB)

Rating – Razzie Worthy

_______________________________________

Check out my *updated* movie stats here

To see my reviews of Oscar Winning Performances check out this link

To see my reviews of all Oscar Best Picture Winners click here (now complete)

Here is a link to my movie index A-Z