The Stranger (1946)

Not to be mistaken for that shitty movie with Liv Tyler The Strangers or for that matter the countless other titles of the same name. Nope this is Orson (Citizen Kane) Welles Film Noir all the way through.

Orson Welles plays professor Charles Rankin a man with an abnormal obsession with clocks. His beautiful wife played by Loretta Young is brought in by Mr. Willson, an investigator for War Crimes. Mr. Willson believes Charles Rankin to be a Nazi who goes by the name of Kindler who was responsible for mass genocide and horrible atrocities in Nazi Germany. If Charles Rankin is in fact Kindler many lives will be endangered to keep his identity secret.

Orson Welles does an excellent job in direction and in acting as usual. As the character of Charles Rankin who is clearly genius and insane at the same time gives off emotion of paranoia and hatred at the same time. The cinematography is excellent as always. Camera angels, shadows and even the pace all play a big part in The Stranger.

While The Stranger may not be the masterpiece that Citizen Kane was or show off the genius eye of Orson Welles to his fullest as could been seen in movies like Touch Of Evil it is still a fun watch for anybody who enjoys film as art.

While The Stranger is a very talky movie it all comes together with a heart pounding climax. That will keep you at the edge of your seat. We have some 1940's style shoot outs, a man falls from a church tower and we have a very memorable stabbing that has to be seen. Its almost hard to believe that somebody had the balls to shoot this death scene in the 40's. Especially from somebody with a huge name like Orson Welles.

The Stranger can only really be recommended to Film Noir buffs and fans of Welles. Alfred Hitchcock fans are also sure to enjoy this movie. So check it out if you are in the mood for something with a bit of class.

Touch Of Evil (1958)

You can only sit through so much trash until you go back to Orson Welles. Touch Of Evil is cinematic brilliance from opening title to end credits. The establishing shot is one of the most elaborate I have ever seen. Some might call it pretentious but I call it eye-candy.

Charlton Heston plays a Mexican cop (and pulls it off) and Orson Welles plays an American cop with some social issues. When a bomb goes off on the border of Mexico and the U.S. Heston and Welles bump heads in their different tactics to track down the killer.

Janet Leigh plays Heston's wife and she gets caught up in a personal vendetta against her husband. The twists and turns are as innovated as the movement of the camera work its self.

Touch Of Evil runs a bit on the long side but never really gets boring or tired due to the masterful craftsmanship that went into this production. Welles is undoubtedly a genius and it is to bad that America will probably never know another writer, director, producer and actor quite like him.

Where are the Welles and the Hitchcock's of today? Most certainly not working in Hollywood, that's for sure.

There are some real heart pounding moments in this Noir flick. We have murder, juvenile delinquents, a good cop, a bad cop, drug use, excessive drinking, top of the line acting and a great story to go with the amazing cinematography. Fans of Citizen Kane should check this one out. Its bound to keep you at the edge of your seat.