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A Stranger Among Us

  • 19921992
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,118
6,936
A Stranger Among Us (1992)
Emily, a tough NYPD cop, is sent to an orthodox Jewish community to investigate a missing person plus $720,000 in missing diamonds. To solve what becomes a murder case, she has to join the community.
Play trailer1:58
1 Video
27 Photos
CrimeDramaRomance
Emily, a tough NYPD cop, is sent to an orthodox Jewish community to investigate a missing person plus $720,000 in missing diamonds. To solve what becomes a murder case, she has to join the c... Read allEmily, a tough NYPD cop, is sent to an orthodox Jewish community to investigate a missing person plus $720,000 in missing diamonds. To solve what becomes a murder case, she has to join the community.Emily, a tough NYPD cop, is sent to an orthodox Jewish community to investigate a missing person plus $720,000 in missing diamonds. To solve what becomes a murder case, she has to join the community.
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,118
6,936
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Sidney Lumet
    • Writer
      • Robert J. Avrech
    • Stars
      • Melanie Griffith
      • Eric Thal
      • John Pankow
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Sidney Lumet
    • Writer
      • Robert J. Avrech
    • Stars
      • Melanie Griffith
      • Eric Thal
      • John Pankow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 43User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:58
    Trailer

    Photos27

    Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith and Eric Thal in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Mia Sara and Tracy Pollan in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Eric Thal in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Melanie Griffith and Eric Thal in A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    A Stranger Among Us (1992)
    Eric Thal in A Stranger Among Us (1992)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Melanie Griffith
    Melanie Griffith
    • Emily Eden
    Eric Thal
    Eric Thal
    • Ariel
    John Pankow
    John Pankow
    • Levine
    Tracy Pollan
    Tracy Pollan
    • Mara
    Lee Richardson
    Lee Richardson
    • Rebbe
    Mia Sara
    Mia Sara
    • Leah
    Jamey Sheridan
    Jamey Sheridan
    • Nick
    Jake Weber
    Jake Weber
    • Yaakov
    Ro'ee Levi
    • Mendel
    David Rosenbaum
    • Mr. Klausman
    Ruth Vool
    • Mrs. Klausman
    David Margulies
    David Margulies
    • Lt. Oliver
    Edward Rogers III
    • Detective Tedford
    • (as Ed Rogers III)
    Maurice Schell
    • Detective Marden
    James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    • Tony Baldessari
    Christopher Collins
    • Chris Baldessari
    • (as Chris Collins)
    Burtt Harris
    • Emily's Father
    Ira Rubin
    Ira Rubin
    • French Rebbe
    • Director
      • Sidney Lumet
    • Writer
      • Robert J. Avrech
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie was used as the primary example of filmmaking on-set in Sidney Lumet's book "Making Movies" as he was shooting it at the time of writing.
    • Goofs
      The Ariel character has a neatly trimmed and partially shaved beard, while explaining payes (side curls). Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not shave any part of their beard or neck.
    • Quotes

      Emily Eden: With due respect, sir, inside every honest man, there's a thief trying to get out...

    • Alternate versions
      Originally rated "R", film was edited to receive a "PG-13" rating.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: A Stranger Among Us/Man Trouble/Honey, I Blew Up the Kid/Cool World/The Hours and Times (1992)
    • Soundtracks
      Change Partners
      by Irving Berlin

    User reviews43

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    Oy Vey!
    Director Sidney Lumet is no hack - his resume includes classics such as "The Pawnbroker," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Network." But every artist is entitled to the occasional misstep, and at least "A Stranger Among Us" is more an interesting failure than the outright disaster "The Wiz" was.

    Lumet is dealing with a number of problems here, first and foremost among them a meandering script that can't quite decide what its main storyline should be. Ostensibly a crime drama centering on the murder of a merchant in Manhattan's diamond district (the stretch of 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues), it persists in wandering off in two other directions - Brooklyn's Hassidim community and its age-old traditions, and the threat of forbidden love between one of its members and the detective assigned to the case. While the scenes involving the religious rituals and customs add nothing to the plot, they at least are interesting and informative about a culture foreign to most viewers. Less compelling are those moments involving Ariel and Emily of the NYPD, since their interest in each other strains credulity, not only because their backgrounds make it unlikely, but due to the lack of any chemistry between Eric Thal and Melanie Griffith.

    Griffith is Lumet's other major problem here. No doubt she was cast because at the time she was still Hollywood's flavor-of-the-month, but we are asked to suspend disbelief and accept her not only as a New York police officer, but as one who would be selected to go undercover and infiltrate the Jewish community and live with them as one of their own. Dying her blonde locks brown does nothing to make Griffith less the "shiksa" (Gentile woman) than she obviously is, and it's unlikely anyone in Crown Heights would have mistaken her for anything but. Yet - oddly enough - although plainly she's out of her element, the fish-out-of-water aspects of the story just don't work.

    By the time whodunit is revealed, you may not care who was responsible for the nearly-forgotten crime lost in a jumble of sub-plots - but give it a moment or two of thought and you'll wonder how the victim's body could have been hidden where it was by the person implausibly identified as the killer. It's a plot twist that just isn't quite - forgive the pun - kosher.

    The actors cast as the elder Jews and the atmosphere in which they live and worship add an air of authenticity that's missing from any of the scenes involving police procedures. Lee Richardson is impressive as the rebbe who, despite his misgivings, must welcome the street-smart female cop into his home. John Pankow, Mia Sara, and Jamey Sheridan do well in their small supporting roles, and James Gandolfini makes an appearance as a thug in a foreshadowing of his career as Tony Soprano, but Eric Thal is saddled with the almost impossible task of making us believe he would forsake his strong religious beliefs and dedication to Kabbalah for the hard-talking, gun-toting Griffith.

    Despite its many flaws, "A Stranger Among Us" is one of those films that makes a long flight, rainy day, or dateless Friday night easier to endure. As a Lumet credit, it's a far cry from "Serpico," but a hell of a lot better than "The Wiz."
    helpful•18
    8
    • SFTVLGUY2
    • Jan 28, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 17, 1992 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Yiddish
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Un extraño entre nosotros
    • Filming locations
      • Forest Avenue, Ridgewood, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Hollywood Pictures
      • ISIS
      • Mansfield Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,282,994
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,886,082
      • Jul 19, 1992
    • Gross worldwide
      • $12,282,994
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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