When Strangers Appear (2001)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

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 | Waitress | Electrocution | Little Girl | Fugitive

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:

Hush

Predictably unpredictable

"When Strangers Appear" is a B-movie suspense/thriller flick which is little more than one long string of obvious stalk/scream/run/relax contrivances. This kinetic flick is all about three guys who may be psycho and one other guy who may be psycho running around like rats in a maze looking for a babe (Mitchell) who has something they want. In spite of all the obvious flaws from poor character development to an incorrect spelling of an anti-psychotic drug on a pill bottle, "WSA" does manage nominal no-brainer excitement, builds to a crescendo, and smirks at you at the end. Okay for couch potatoes in the mood for some nail biting escapism. (C)