Just another old bland suspense flick. It reminds me of Hitchcock's Vertigo a little bit. (but The Stranger came out 12 years before Vertigo). Anyway, it's still watchable and slightly enjoyable.

Definitely far more Lady from Shanghai than Touch of Evil. Feels bland and conventional and at times there's some bad scripting, some stuff that came off as overly coincidental, the pacing felt odd and in the second half it descends in to something bordering on histrionics as one major character starts acting in a way that I didn't completely buy in to. It's entertaining enough stuff and Welles is very good as the villain, but generally the film is unmemorable.

A decent enough movie that starts off really slow, but picks up and gets very interesting as the movie goes on. Very strong cast through out and much better than I would have given it credit for.

Silly

Orson Welles direction without an Orson Welles script. The result is a technically fascinating movie with a somewhat clumsy storyline. The story wasn't nearly as mysterious, intriguing or intense as it could have been considering the premise, and the characters make some very stupid decisions. But the movie is just a joy to watch. Welles and Robinson both shine, and Welles' direction is just as good as one would hope it to be. Overall, the positive greatly overshadows the negative.

Welles dazzles with the camera, particularly in the early and late portions of the film. The camera movements and angles contribute to a sense of imbalance which works well in this story of mystery and intrigue. Robinson is always fun to watch, and Welles works out nicely in another of his villainous turns. The overall effect feels more conventional than one would expect from Welles, but conventional Welles is better than most everything else.

Hitchcock would have done it much better.

A good classic film. Edward G Robinson is a joy to watch. Orson Welles is good in this move as well. Welles also does a great job of directing, although this film is not in the same category of greatness as Citizen Kane.

Superb. Orson always had the greatest cinematography and camerawork - it's a real treat to take in and the set is excellent. It's also got a bunch of good performances, including Orson as a Nazi. Finally, it's just so exciting to watch this plot unfold and know that WWII has just ended. I don't know. Really cool

Great noir cinematography, great writing, great performances, what more can you ask for? Welles is fantastic and I really liked the way his character was used as a commentary on WWII, something that must have been especially raw in 1946. Wonderful ending to cap it off, too.

Sadly, it looks like a parody based on Welles's films. But the nazi-hunging plot and Loretta Young's chickbones make this film bareable.

Orson Welles proves that, even making a proper Hollywood-esque movie, he is a hell of a director.

Nice, taut thriller with superb performances from Robinson and Welles as cold and clever enemies.

This isn't as distinctive as the best of Welles, and it's got some significant flaws in its plot development (Rankin/Kindler makes some pretty stupid mistakes for someone who's supposed to be so crafty) but it's a tense thriller that highlights the common "evil lurking in a small town" theme. The photographic work is as good as one expects from Welles, and the clock tower makes a terrific set piece. Besides a little sloppy writing, it's a fine movie.

A fun game of cat and mouse with two fantastic leads in Robinson and especially Welles, who was always so great at playing the villain. This is mostly a good thriller with a lot of that Welles polish, but it is a bit muddled in places. It sort of fizzles towards the end when it becomes somewhat predictable and by-the-books.

A weak script is given Welle's spit and polish. There are many strokes of cinematic brilliance which are lost on a plot which really doesn't make a lick of sense.

The stranger: 8 // 7 // 8 // 7 // 8 // 6 // 6

Yet another film that we will never know how good it could've been should Orson Welles have had artistic freedom.

Welles shows he could be a good boy and play by studio rules, and gives a great performances as a Nazi war criminal in disguise.