the time be 1938 london before the world war . a woman of mystery and geraldine fitzgerald and invite two perfect stranger play by peter lorre and sydney greenstreet up to her apartment . she a believer in the ancient chinese god of kwan lin and it say that if three stranger wish on that deity and their be the same wish it will be grant . in this case the wish be money and it in the form of a sweepstakes ticket that peter lorre have purchase and who give two third away to fitzgerald and greenstreet in the hope of fortune come their way . after this we see a glimpse of the life of the three people . lorre be a petty criminal who get himself into a beautiful jackpot be accuse of a murder that he do not commit . fitzgerald be a shrewish wife who stay marry to an unhappy alan napier who just want to be free to marry marjorie riordan . this be a harbinger of a role that fitzgerald really perfect a dozen year later in ten north frederick . a for greenstreet and he a solicitor and an attorney of no great significance in the legal profession and an english version of a man whose name i be once threaten with name abe hecht . it now become a synonym for cheap shyster with me . anyway greenstreet the trustee of an estate he be dip into . he want to make a financial kill real bad because he think that money will buy him respectability which he crave like nothing else . the film be like a 90 minute version of a twilight zone episode and but that not a putdown because some really classic stuff be do on that program . the script be write by howard koch and john huston and direct by jean negulesco . i be surprised huston do not want to direct this one himself and but jean negulesco get some of the best performance that member of the cast ever give on screen and especially from the three lead . notice no really big movie name be in this cast and no lead men screen legend . that may have be an asset to the film because it concentrate on the story and the character create . the ironic fate of all three of the sweepstakes ticket sharer could have come right out of the imaginative mind of rod serling . and peter lorre be actually allow a little romance in a movie . that alone make three stranger absolutely priceless . three stranger be a b picture gem and one of those low budget sleeper that hollywood put out to great critical acclaim that turn a profit because of the low budget . and this review be dedicate to that attorney abe hecht whom i never meet and to his idiot brother in law morris stetch who threaten me with him back in 1979. to see if greenstreet obtain the status of a clarence darrow and rise from abe hechtdom and do not miss three stranger .