Woodyanders Review of Perfect Strangers

Perfect Strangers (1984)

Neat urban noir thriller from the always reliable Larry Cohen

[8/10 · 23 September 2010]

Hit-man Johnny (well played with brooding intensity by Brad Rijn) carves up a guy in an alley way. Two-year-old boy Matthew (a remarkably good portrayal by the adorable Matthew Stockley) witness the rub out. Johnny befriends Matthew's spunky and self-reliant single mom Sally (a fine and sympathetic performance by Anne Carlise of "Liquid Sky" fame) and plans on eventually killing Matthew. Cult writer/director Larry Cohen makes vivid and inspired use of the dingy New York City locations, firmly grounds the story in a totally plausible everyday reality populated by complex and credible true-to-life characters, and wrings plenty of white-knuckle suspense from the absorbing premise (a scene with Johnny and Matthew on a swing in an empty public park is truly harrowing). Rijn's Johnny makes for a fascinatingly conflicted main character: While his capacity for savage violence is genuinely frightening, Johnny's smooth charm, handsome looks, and anguished struggle with his own conscience ensure that he's nonetheless still a likable guy. The sound acting from a tip-top cast qualifies as a major asset: Rijn and Carlise do sterling work in the lead roles, with excellent support from John Woehrle as Sally's jerky ex-husband Fred, Stephen Lack as meddlesome detective Lieutenant Burns, Ann Magnuson as Sally's angry man-hating radical feminist friend Malda, and Zachary Hains as wise old Mafia capo Moletti. Paul Glickman's slick cinematography gives the picture a nice bright look. Dwight Dixon's moody'n'jazzy score also does the trick. An unjustly neglected and underrated sleeper.