A Stranger Among Us (1992)
46%RT Audience Score: 39%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A disappointing misfire for director Sidney Lumet, A Stranger Among Us tries to tell a murder mystery and a fish-out-of-water love story, doing a disservice to both
A Stranger Among Us is like a Harlequin romance novel, but with more Jewish characters and less steamy scenes. Lumet’s direction is solid, but maybe he should stick to Manhattan instead of Brooklyn. The film tries to be both a love story and a whodunit, but it’s not quite successful at either. The soft, amber-tinged scenes of Hasidic life are pretty, but they start to feel a bit comical after a while. Overall, it’s a decent movie to watch if you’re in the mood for something light and easy. Plus, it’s got some great cinematography.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Forest Avenue, Ridgewood, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for language and violence
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Yiddish, Hebrew
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 3, 2003
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Melanie Griffith, Eric Thal, John Pankow, Tracy Pollan, Lee Richardson, Mia Sara, directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Robert J Avrech, produced by Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Howard Rosenman, mystery, thriller, PG-13, box office gross $12.1M, budget unknown, reviewed by Peter Rainer, Desmond Ryan, Jay Boyar, John Hartl, Dave Kehr, Michael Sragow, Nicholas Bell, David Nusair, Roger Hurlburt, Stephen Hunter, Gary Thompson, Andrzej Bartkowiak, Hasidic community, diamond-robbery murder, fish-out-of-water love story, New York policewoman, critic reviews, audience score, Fresh Kernels
Worldwide gross: $12,282,994
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,292,063
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,602
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,867,182
US/Canada gross: $12,282,994
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,292,063
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,317
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,886,082
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,177,732
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,059
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $38,529,460
Production budget ranking: 985
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $20,748,114
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$32,985,512
ROI to date (est.): -56%
ROI ranking: 1,722
Eric Thal – Ariel
John Pankow – Levine
Tracy Pollan – Mara
Lee Richardson – Rebbe
Mia Sara – Leah
Director(s)
Sidney Lumet
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Howard Rosenman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (32)
A Stranger Among Us isn’t emotionally on a much higher level than a Harlequin romance, but Lumet keeps the actors in front of us, and we enjoy watching them.
May 3, 2014
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
[Lumet] may be the quintessential New York director, but A Stranger Among Us argues that he should stay out of Brooklyn.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 1.5/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Director Sidney Lumet is obviously fascinated by the Hasidic community, and he displays this fascination by presenting the Jewish characters and settings with affection and respect.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Although it’s enjoyable as a bittersweet, fish-out-of-water love story, Sidney Lumet’s A Stranger Among Us is less effective when it transforms itself into an exotic whodunit.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
A Stranger Among Us is eerily devoid of precisely the kind of urban detail and atmosphere that has always given Lumet`s work its authority, even when his storytelling falters.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 1/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Griffith’s artless embodiment of the script’s deranged idea of tough-gal gumption isn’t as amusing as it should be. She’s a B-picture heroine stuck in an absurdly self-conscious prestige project.
May 3, 2014
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
While Avrech’s script, which might as well be a sci-fi film in its depiction of NYPD operations, is mostly at fault, Griffith casts a dubious shadow over the proceedings.
August 10, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
A Stranger Among Us is rife with laughably heavy-handed instances of plot and character development…
February 3, 2016 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
A Stranger Among Us is an unwieldy yarn that plays passion against faith and tradition in a most unconvincing manner.
May 3, 2014
Roger Hurlburt
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
If I were a rich man, I wouldn’t have had to see A Stranger Among Us.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
Scenes of life among the Hasidim are soft and amber-tinged, in keeping with Lumet’s idealized conception of their lives. The effect is so pronounced that it begins to grow comical.
May 3, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
It’s a great-looking picture, photographed in glowing tones by Andrzej Bartkowiak, a regular collaborator on Lumet’s films.
May 3, 2014
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
Detective Emily Eden is a tough New York City cop forced to go undercover to solve a puzzling murder. Her search for the truth takes her into a secret world of unwritten law and unspoken power, a world where the only way out is deeper in!
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Melanie Griffith stars as a New York policewoman in A Stranger Among Us.
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