Stranger 4

Stranger 4
Directed by Jordi Visser

Jordi Visser: One of the most talented directors in the community, and historically one of the most controversial. His philosophy on what's most important in a movie is demonstrated tellingly in each of his films, the belief that the more abstract stylistic qualities of storytelling take precedence above all else, including the narrative (I thought of this adage several times while watching JDR Revival). To a degree this has always been effective, even in the disappointing "Reunion", and establishes that while he seems incapable of making poorly edited film, he has on occasion made some rather frustrating ones. Stranger 4 at long last brings this filmmaking approach to fruition in a big, big way; the control he exerts over the movie is so brisk, so effortless, that what results is not just a zany romp through the conventions of classic Westerns, but a wonderfully sublime realization of his style, proving at long last that the man knows exactly what he's doing. Visser is in the zone.

The introduction, particularly the use of the music to enhance the western-esque narration, was absolutely captivating. Before even the first line was uttered, I was grinning ear to ear in anticipation and leaning close to the screen to see what would appear after each black screen cut. Stranger 4 has, without question, the most attention-grabbing opening in the history of 3DMM; this is essential because Jordi's storytelling style resembles a sort of drunken waltz, leaning in whatever direction the wind happens to be blowing for long periods of time, so that we eagerly anticipate seeing it finally take the step. Having not seen any of the previous Stranger films, I got a vibe from this fourth installment that Jordi was refining the storytelling of the series, incorporating previously used story elements in new ways to create a much more powerful version of what had gone before. Not in that it felt like an old story being redone in a new way, but more as if he was using bits and pieces of things he had tried before, and perfecting the way they were used. Surely the film is a much-refined take on previous iterations of his style, breaking down things people compared to Maltby and making them his own. At long last his voice is entirely separated from Maltbyisms of the past, and it turns out to be more creative and original than anything I could have imagined he would become.

Stranger 4 is silly, breezy, and wonderfully immersive. We're given a hugely funny riff on the Terminator 2 time travel plot, with a determined Stranger heading into the past to take down a notoriously cruel outlaw named John Duke. While this most basic of plots hovers over what happens during the course of the movie, it serves as a loose outline rather than a linear quest. Within the first five minutes, Jordi lazily and gleefully drifts into tangents involving elephants, gnomes, persistent bar patrons, cruise ships, and of course the wide-open, unforgiving desert. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the plot is that despite the fact that a good 60% of it is devoted to aimlessness, the film never suffers from the apparent diversion. One of the more memorable bits of iconography here, the time-passage sequences created by a series of scene fades, work wonderfully in conjunction with the music, and the dreamlike way in which Stranger limps to a car after falling from a non-ground-floor window is strangely (hah) captivating. Jordi turns scenes that could have been dangerous in the hands of an unskilled director into beautiful realizations of his style. Who would have thought whole minutes of Stranger wandering dazedly through the desert could be so interesting to watch?

The incredible style of the film is punctuated by some truly hilarious moments. The floaty, mesmerizing atmosphere of the film is heightened to a level of surrealism in John Duke's hotel room when Stranger fires several bullets through the door to form a smiley face (great Sam & Max reference), as well as the discovery of the contents of his wardrobe. When Stranger is instructed to "throw down your gun and kick it towards me," his throw lands the gun a foot away from John Duke's feet, and he walks all the way over to tap it forward a few inches with his foot. Some of the writing here is just brilliant. And in the hotel room as well as the final sequence in the film, Jordi illustrates a tendency to let a situation linger and lean forward for a while before ending it rather quickly -- this straddles the line between a stylistic choice and rather impulsive writing, but maintains the former for the most part.

Technically, it's a definite heavyweight. Some of the construction and animation techniques here are utterly mindblowing. The use of music to effectively choreograph long segments where little happens is the work of a true professional. Brilliantly chosen, yes, but also some of the best music used in a 3DMM film in its own right; it's rare when a director takes time to track down a unique theme for their work, incorporating different variations to suit what's happening onscreen. I want to download some of these tracks, badly. The voice acting, while not as stellar as some of the big-name releases that have emerged since, does the job, matching the gleefully lazy feel of the movie step for step. Jaymond brings a deadpan quality to the role of Stranger, creating a character who seems a little vacant and might be wandering mentally; in other words, it runs perfectly parallel to the way he acts and the way the movie seems to behave for the most part.

In short, Stranger 4 stands as the film to direct people to when they wonder how style, independent of concrete narrative, can support an experience almost entirely by itself. There are a few stumbles, to be sure -- Jordi is in love with every shot in the movie and sometimes it begins to wander into self-indulgence (the ending is the chief offender, bringing the film to a comparatively subpar close far too quickly), but as a whole Stranger 4 absolutely triumphs. If Jordi can maintain the sort of consistent tone and wry brilliance found here in his future works, he could do this forever and I'd be more than satisfied. If he considers Stranger 4 to be another stepping stone towards the complete realization of his style, then I'm anticipating So Far Gone with an excitement that quite frankly borders on ridiculous.

Critical Score: 96/100.
Personal Score: 97/100.

From my Top 20 3DMM Movies of All Time list:

15. Stranger 4
Directed by Jordi Visser

People who criticized JDR Revival by saying that movies can't coast by on style alone obviously never saw Stranger 4. The most important element in Jordi Visser's movies is his unique approach to moviemaking itself, and the fourth installment of the Stranger series sees that wholly and finally realized. The film is dreamily sublime, not about anything but its own atmosphere, distractedly trying to keep its mind focused on the plot that seems to have been air-dropped into its lap. We start out with about a 50:50 ratio of story focus to style focus, and by the five-minute mark Jordi has clearly started to shift rather extremely toward the latter, with odd visual nonsequiters like elephants, gnomes, ocean liners, and the desert itself. You can feel the heat on Stranger's back as he blearily rests against the hood of a car, and see the gears of his mind turning and trying to focus themselves when he stares into a campfire. Some 60% of the movie is devoted entirely to aimlessness, and the combination of the soundtrack and poignantly brief moments of action keep us at attention throughout every second of it. Stranger's lines are delivered in Jaymond's most deadpan performance ever, and reflect the movie's bizarre state of mind; neither have any idea how they got there or what they should be doing next. Jordi plays on this so well that the dazed aimlessness of the plot becomes completely invisible, and we exist entirely in the moment no matter what Stranger is doing (or not doing, as the case often is). To craft so brilliant a film around the lack of activity is one thing, but to get people to vote it as the best action movie of 2003 elevates it into some surreal category all its own. Mix in the highest production values and the most entertaining opening I've ever seen, and you've got the recipie for one of the best works ever produced by the program.

[Jeroen van Eden]

Great review Aaron! Haven't seen this one for a long time.
Time to find that good 'old 3dmm CD again...