yet another from the jokily hypothetical represent have you ever be watch witness and thought and this film would be so much good if harrison ford be a ditzy blonde with no concept of respect and restraint or modesty . plus and why can not they be jew . that whole no technology thing be sooo boring . well and i wasn not that big a fan of witness and but it a masterpiece compare to the awkward and frequently blisteringly stupid a stranger among u . here and the aforementioned ditzy blonde be cop melanie griffith and who we be introduce to in an early scene where a crime be commit and so she whip out her standard issue and bust a cap in his as . she get scold for this and but it no skin of her back and a she get big fish to try represent she gon na move in with some hasidic jew after she suspect someone close in the murder of one of their own ( in a corpse reveal scene so hilariously obvious i think my 8 year old niece could have find it ) . melanie griffith be among the dumb and most obnoxious character i have see in some time . i think be suppose to find her some sort of charm free spirit and but really and she close to incredibly rude and uncouth . be possibly the most unbelievable law enforcement professional in film history and she be not only trigger happy and scantily dress and but curse in front of jewish elder and continually hit on most of the hasidic men in her and chief among them reasonable and calm ariel ( eric thal ) . not to mention the most ridiculous fact that in between be liberally foul mouth and her dialogue about more pressing matter be stilted and verbose in the most cringeworthy sense and and her climactic speech that tie up every loose end in some gloriously vast leap of logic . a we find out more about her and more about the hasidic people she be suppose to be enter a living arrangement with and the more and more reasonable they look despite the film insistence and filmic style and musical cue instruct u that these be simplistic and ignorant people set in their simplistic and ignorant way and and aren not they cute . for example and i understand that woman be viable member of the workforce be a wonderful thing for equality and but not every woman want to be a working woman and and the fact that both griffith and the film seemingly recoil in abject horror at the very thought of woman a housewife speaks to the film baffle ignorance . a mentioned and griffith be stunningly terrible and a be the script . the rest of the cast isn not give much more to do . thal be appropriately stoic throughout most of the film and but that skill betray him when his big emotional scene come and he prove himself not up to the task . tracy pollan play the suspicious stepdaughter to lee richardson and and james gandolfini and chris latta and jake weber her old friend from back round the way . none of them make much of an impact and and the only person to even garner a passing grade be the adorable mia sara ( yknow and ferris girlfriend ) and who somehow manages to maintain a beauty and intelligence and and gentle grace despite the film apparent contempt for her lifestyle . i be now twenty three film through my epic sidney lumet quest and and i can honestly say i have absolutely no grasp on lumet a a director . it seem inconceivable that the same man that produce twelve angry men and network and dog day afternoon and before the devil know youre dead and murder on th orient express and fail safe could produce something like a stranger among u . i understand that every producer of art and medium can sometimes make misstep and but this production be so flaw from it very core and go about it business in such an offensively patronize manner that i be unable to even fathom what he could possibly have be think . this film be commonly sight a one of lumet failure and along with the following year guilty a sin . but at least that mess have a trashy charm about it ( it star don johnson and rebecca de mornay for chrissake . ) this have no such thing . it nearly an hour and a half short than long day journey into night and so it certainly would not wrestle away the title of bad lumet film and but this colossal and fundamental misstep depresses me with how close it come . { grade represent 3 . 75 ( c or d plus ) or # 31 ( of 31 ) of 1992 } .