Melanie Griffith plays a New York cop who must go undercover in the city’s Hasidic community to find a killer in the Sidney Lumet crime tale.
The Plot
Detective Emily Eden has a bit of a hare trigger and is a magnet for danger. When her partner Nick is wounded during an arrest, a cloud of suspicion falls onto Emily, and a temporary suspension.
In the Jewish Hasidic community, amongst the tradition, prayers, and celebrations, is a strong economic machine in the diamond industry. Ariel is studying to be the next Rebbe, and his friend Yaakov is about to be murdered.
When they discover Yaakov’s body, Emily takes the case and is immersed into a world and culture that she knows little about. Being guided by Ariel and Leah, Emily starts to develop feelings for the good hearted and compassionate Ariel.
The further her investigation goes Emily suspects that it was someone within the close knit community that killed Yaakov. As the clues reveal themselves, Emily, Ariel, and Leah are in great danger from the enemy within.
The Good
I like the story line. The idea of having a stranger in a strange land is always appealing to me, and any movie that follows that plotline will gain my interest.
Melanie Griffith is awesome, and I absolutely loved seeing her in the role of Emily Eden. She is tough, intelligent, and someone audiences can root for. I think she did a great job with what was given to her.
There are movies that take extra time to show the audience what is happening, and allow you to immerse yourself in the world, rather than just getting a quick snapshot of the moment. Much like the lengthy wedding scene in The Deer Hunter, the audience gets to experience the Hasidic life through the celebration scenes, the cooking and preparing of the meals, and the wedding, I loved being able to watch these moments on screen, because it felt like I was seeing something that had never been shown before. Dialogue and catchphrases are nice, but long shots of people doing things can be just as compelling to film goers.
The Bad and the Ugly
I don’t want to be negative about this because for the most part I did enjoy the film. However, there are glaring stereotypes that plague Melanie Griffith’s character that pigeonholed her into a certain persona. Emily is a good cop, that is reckless, and a little immature that puts people’s lives in danger.
I can forgive the bad traits that were given to the Emily Eden character but what is truly standout misses that plague this story focus on the script. Emily is supposed to be going undercover with the Hasidic community, but she never really goes undercover. She doesn’t immerse herself completely in the life, because for one scene she goes to visit Nick at the hospital and then her father. Excuse me detective, but aren’t you supposed to be undercover? That makes no logical sense.
Also, when the killer is revealed, there is no possible way that Yaakov’s body could have been hidden in the ceiling based on who the killer is.
Finally, Emily’s fascination/lust for Ariel is immature and should have been handled better. There were multiple ways that the relationship between the two could have been developed, but we only saw Ariel and Emily interact in a handful of scenes. She not only lusts after him, but shatters his innocence at the end, which is unforgivable.
Beyond the Film Facts
- Sidney Lumet was nominated for the Palme d’or in 1992.
- This was James Gandolfini’s debut performance in film/television.
- In Sidney Lumet’s book Making Movie, he referenced this film a lot because he was writing the book at the same time as he shot the picture.
- Rena Sofer made her film debut in this movie.
- The film was a box office and critical misfire. The biggest complaint that critics had was that the movie tried to marry the fish out of water story with a crime thriller and that the movie did neither plot line well.
- A Stranger Among Us is also compared unfavorably to Witness which has the same plotline but is a far superior film.
The Streamy Award
{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.
1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}
Sidney Lumet is a genius. I love his films, but A Stranger Among Us is not at the top of his repertoire. It’s not terrible, and I think the critical response to the movie has been well overblown, but there are obvious problems that make this movie not the standout that it could have been.
There are moments of beauty that make me think well of the film. Watching any of the Hasidic celebrations will always stick with me and that is why I give A Stranger Among Us 1 ½ Reels. It’s not an immediate watch, but it’s worth noting in your film pantheon.
Cast and Crew
- Melanie Griffith as Emily Eden
- Eric Thal as Ariel
- John Pankow as Levine
- Tracy Pollan as Mara
- Lee Richardson as Rebbe
- Mia Sara as Leah
- Jamey Sheridan as Nick
- Jake Weber as Yaakov
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Produced by Hollywood Pictures / ISIS / Mansfield Pictures
Release Date: July 17, 1992
Budget: $18 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $12,282,994
Coming Soon
“Touchstone and Beyond” returns in two weeks with a look back at the Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan noir thriller D.O.A.