Hands of a Stranger

2000: I have not seen this movie since it first aired twelve or so years ago, but I remember it as having a powerful impact. I remember thinking it was better than the theatrical film "Sea of Love." Good performances by Armand Assante, Beverly D"Angelo and Blair Brown. Good plotting and dialog, too.

2008: Since originally commenting eight years ago, I have seen this title again. It holds up pretty well although it certainly is longish for one sitting. (It was originally shown in two parts on two different nights.) The plot is involved, but for those not suffering from a short attention span, the multiple story lines are intriguing especially when they fold on each other.

Especially amusing now are the hair and clothes that date the movie, but the performances hold up. I say this notwithstanding the appearance of a fourteen-year-old actor named Ben Affleck. This movie could be culled for clips to be used in a "Before they Were Stars" special. The cast includes Affleck, Forest Whitaker, and Canadian actor/director Sarah Polley (acting: "My Life Without Me," "John Adams," "The Sweet Hereafter"; directing: "Away From Her," etc.). But Sarah was only about eight and had maybe ten short lines at a maximum.

What great promise this had, but what a "yawner" it was. I saw this on the Lifetime Cable Network, all in one sitting. I assume when it aired originally in 1987, it was in mini-series form, or shown over several nights. I guess seeing it in smaller installments, it would be more tolerable, but it just dragged, and dragged, and dragged.

I thought with the talent involved, this movie had huge potential, but I was snoozing by the third hour. As I said, I'll assume that in hour long chapters, this might have been more enjoyable, but as a four hour showing, it was not fun, at all.

The concept was good, but it took waaaaaaaaay too long to get the story moving, and at times, the actors seemed to be sleep walking thru their roles. Yes, we know Armand Assante is trouble by what's going on, but the act becomes really tedious. I'm amazed "Joe Hearn" kept his job, for as long as he did with all the time he was away from the office.

If you dig "The Repercussions of Adultery" type movies, this will suit you just fine. If not, "The Weather Channel", is a better watching experience...

Totally underrated movie - great acting and great plot!

If one is inclined to see a movie that has about everything, romance, good detective development and raw scenes - you have hit the jackpot in Hands of a Stranger. The U.S. Version which was done for TV - and then put on VHS is featured in two parts, and it's kind of long, almost 3 hours. However, I found it so intriguing that time flew by. The casting was excellent, Armand Assante, and Beverly D'Angelo are at their best. Each and every player did a great job - extremely convincing. The story line is great, and you'll want to see the whole thing at one time. In today's world, many movies lack convincing story lines and sensible scenes - not so with this one, done in 1987. If you haven't seen it - go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Although it is a shade on the long side, "Hands Of A Stranger" is a distinctly superior crime thriller with an unusual though plausible plot. A senior detective is assigned to crack a gang who are raping women and videoing them while doing so, then his own wife is raped, not by one of the gang but by a two-bit crook whose usual pastime is robbery coupled with blackmail. His modus operandi is taking embarrassing photographs of adulterers in one of those room-by-the-hour hotels. Our hero's wife has been flattered by a younger man who takes her to one of these places on impulse after a liquid lunch - who says romance is dead? She changes her mind at the last moment, then the crook walks in. Embarrassing or what?

The plot develops from there with Detective Hearn slowly waking up to the full truth; she tells him about the rape but gives him a cock and bull story about how it happened. What now? Well, quite a lot. One question, was it really possible to determine the sex of a person from a strand or two of hair in 1987?