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Movie reviews: The Strangers (2008)

Kristen and James arrive at an isolated holiday cabin after going to a friend's wedding. Their mood is low - James has asked Kristen to marry him, but she turned him down, feeling that she is not ready to commit. They are in the process of making up when someone knocks on the door - a young girl asking for someone they've never heard of. They think it strange as it is the middle of the night, but brush it off, and James goes out to buy Kristen some cigarettes. While he is away, it soon becomes clear that there are people outside wanting to get in. Terrified, Kristen calls James and asks him to return home, which he does - but the intruders only become more insistent and soon turn violent. What do they want? And will Kristen and James ever get out alive?

Liv Tyler stars as Kristen. She is a truly beautiful woman, and is generally a fine actress. I didn'tfind her entirely convincing as Kristen though. Her reactions to people knocking on the door initially seems to be over the top, and when faced with real danger, she doesn't seem to have enough of a reaction. I may be being harsh - the story is supposed to be based on a true one, so it may be that the screenwriter wrote this into the script. Plus, it is hard to know how you would react in any situation until you've personally been in it. However, the important thing for me is that I wasn't convinced by what she did, which I think means her performance wasn't all that it could have been. She does have her moments though, especially towards the end of the film.

Scott Speedman is not an actor I have heard of before this. However, as James, I thought he was good, although not brilliant. He did at least convince me that he was devastated that Kristen had turned him down. And at times his pain and grief are almost too painful to watch. James is the secondary character, unfortunately, because there are times when he is off-screen and the camera is following Kristen - I think his constant presence would have made the film generally better. Then again, what happened may not have happened had he been around, so I can understand the reasons for not making him the lead character.

There is not much I can say about the other actors, of which there aren't that many. The three intruders are constantly seen wearing masks, apart from a brief glimpse in the shadows of the girl who knocks at the door. I didn't find them particularly scary until later on in the film, but then I don't suppose I would like to find them standing in my


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Movie reviews: The Strangers (2008)

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Movie reviews: The Strangers (2008)

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