When Strangers Appear (2001)

Director:

Scott Reynolds

Writer:

Scott Reynolds (written by)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Don't serve coffee to strangers.

Plot:

A man enters a roadside diner run by a young woman and claims he is being chased by murderers.

Plot Keywords:

Surfer | Diner | Jealous Wife | Flashlight | Police Car

Cast

Radha Mitchell	...	Beth
Josh Lucas	...	Peter
Barry Watson	...	Jack Barrett
Kevin Anderson	...	Bryce
Jonathan Blick	...	Stephen (as Johnny Blick)
Eryn Wilson	...	Roger
Michael Lowe	...	Bernie
Steven Ray	...	Dr. Eric Leonard
Dra McKay	...	Lynda
Seraphine Rochery	...	Tracey

Also Known As:

The Shearer's Breakfast (Australia) (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

98 min | Germany:96 min (DVD version)

Country:

Australia | New Zealand | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16 | Germany:16 | USA:R | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Foxton, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

Company:

Beyond Films

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The sign on the doctor's office says "Surgery". This is a term used in the UK, as well as Australia, for a doctor's office.

Movie Connections:

References The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Soundtrack:

Calling on

gripping neo-Hitchcockian thriller

"When Strangers Appear" (2001) is just the sort of film I'm a sucker for. It's a tense, neo-Hitchcockian thriller with a crisp, clean visual style, a forceful sense of place, several great suspense sequences, very effective camera work, and one hell of a paranoid mood. The story concerns a young woman who for 48 hours becomes entangled in a mysterious manhunt when her path crosses with the wrong people on the Oregon coast. Or, as I really like to tell folks, it's about a waitress being chased by diabolical surfers.

The film was written and directed by New Zealand director Scott Reynolds. For me his first film, "The Ugly," was close to unwatchable, but then he released "Heaven," which showed a lot of promise. (And with any luck he'll break his 6-year dry spell and bring us something else soon.) Radha Mitchell and Josh Lucas are both very, very good in "When Strangers Appear," as is Kevin Anderson in his supporting role. The film has a few flaws, however. This includes a few too-self-conscious moments and the casting of Barry Watson as Jack, the man on the run. Still, the film is a must-see for fans of tense contemporary thrillers that lie in the shadow of Hitch, or for anyone who's up for the sort of gripping, old-fashioned good time provided by films like "Red Rock West," "Nick of Time," and "Breakdown."