Netflix And Chill: The Stranger (1946)

I deliberately picked this one, that hadn't previously been on my radar, to show that there are SOME older titles tucked away on Netflix (although they are few and far between).

Edward G. Robinson plays Mr. Wilson, someone who works for the United Nations War Crimes Commission. He's hunting for Franz Kindler, a famous Nazi criminal believed to now be hiding away in America, and decides to make the unorthodox move of releasing one of his former associates, one Konrad Meinike (Konstantin Shayne), to flush him out. The only thing known about Kindler is that he has an obsession, bordering on mania, with clocks. But it's not long until Wilson finds a prime suspect, in the shape of a man named Charles Rankin (Orson Welles), leading to a race against time to prove who he really is, and take him down.

As well as giving himself a main role, Welles also directs this interesting and tense film noir (unsurprisingly), which leads to some extra polish being laid over what could have easily been a disposable piece of pulp. This is not a mystery film, it's a game of cat and mouse with both main parties involved soon guessing what the other is up to and trying to circumvent their plans. And it's a film about a man convinced that he has done the right thing, according to his own ideology, who then tries to keep himself going "in the right direction" until it looks as if he is doomed to fail. At that point, anyone and everyone can be sacrificed as he tries to ensure his freedom.

Based on an original story by Victor Trivas, who helped with Decla Dunning to adapt it for the screen, carried over the finish line by Anthony Veiller, this is a familiar tale of an insidious threat hiding in Anytown, USA. It's interestingly structured, especially when you see how quickly the mystery element is done away with, and builds tension brilliantly in a couple of impressive set-pieces that essentially bookend the movie.

Although Shayne does well in his small role, and there are solid performances here from Loretta Young (the woman who unwittingly marries a war criminal) and Richard Long (playing her brother), it's often hard for a film directed by, and starring, Welles to not be dominated by him. He always knew how to give himself magical moments of cinema, and he does it again here, especially good as he continues to be charming and horribly persuasive in a way that gives just the tiniest glimpse of how people like him become leaders and maintain self-belief in the face of overwhelming criticism from sensible and compassionate humans. Robinson is a worthy adversary for him, and has an equal level of confidence, given the edge by the fact that he is on the side of what is actually right.

I'm not sure how well-known this is to people, it was certainly not one that had previously been on my radar, but it's definitely worth checking out for fans of film noir, and for fans of either of the two main stars. Something relatively simple is given more complexity and weight than others may have afforded it, and the ending is up there with some of the all-time great noirs, so I'm glad I stumbled across it, and I now happily recommend it to others.

8/10

There's a pricey, but nice, package available here.
Americans can get a nice disc here.