"A Stranger is Watching" is a tale of a parent's worst nightmare, a film so angry and horrific, with graphic violence that doesn't really move the plot forward. It seems like a television movie with graphic footage thrown in to give it a movie theater release, taking it from a "parental guidance suggested" television warning to an "R". This is a shame because a few similar movies which told the human side of similar tales were able to be touching rather than exploitive. Another shame is the fact that the film is so well acted that you can't fault the stars, only the writers who took this down a road of ugliness from which it has not escaped.
Young Shawn von Schreiber is extremely memorable as the early teen who as a child witnessed the rape and murder of her mother. Now on the verge of becoming a young lady, she is forced to re-live the situation with the public exposition over the upcoming execution of the man she insisted was the killer. But, as the title says, "A Stranger is Watching", and he has no intention of letting her live in peace even though up to this point he has pretty much gotten away with murder.
Schreiber's father (James Naughton) is dating a pretty television reporter (Kate Mulgrew) who upsets him by recapping all of the details of the killing. His daughter hasn't quite accepted her as the new lady in his life, but when a mysterious stranger (Rip Torn) breaks into Naughton's home and kidnaps both Schreiber and a visiting Mulgrew, they are tossed together in a situation which can't help but make them closer, no matter how hard Schreiber resists.
If only there had been more focus on the two women bonding and less emphasis on the violence which erupts when they end up in the bowels of Grand Central where arriving trains go through a seemingly endless tunnel filled with hidden nooks and crannies where homeless mole people reside and Torn keeps them prisoner. The two make various attempts to escape, but as per usual in films like this, they are just one step towards freedom when the villain strikes again.
Mulgrew, just on the threshold of stardom, is excellent, and for "Ryan's Hope" fans, it is a thrill to see the original Mary Ryan playing a New York City reporter (just like Mary was) just a few years after that character's untimely demise. Mulgrew is unconventionally beautiful, her gorgeousness a combination of spunkiness, wisdom, a huge heart and eyes that speak volumes even without words. Schreiber is also very good too, and Torn is a horrific villain that is as scary as Freddy Krueger and Jason, even without a hockey mask or a scarred face. Some great character performances (Roy Poole, Stephen Joyce, Maggie Trask) are also worth mentioning, but when surrounded by such ugliness, that quality is lessened and you wish that they had been given a better script so this film could have been more memorable than it was.
Young Shawn von Schreiber is extremely memorable as the early teen who as a child witnessed the rape and murder of her mother. Now on the verge of becoming a young lady, she is forced to re-live the situation with the public exposition over the upcoming execution of the man she insisted was the killer. But, as the title says, "A Stranger is Watching", and he has no intention of letting her live in peace even though up to this point he has pretty much gotten away with murder.
Schreiber's father (James Naughton) is dating a pretty television reporter (Kate Mulgrew) who upsets him by recapping all of the details of the killing. His daughter hasn't quite accepted her as the new lady in his life, but when a mysterious stranger (Rip Torn) breaks into Naughton's home and kidnaps both Schreiber and a visiting Mulgrew, they are tossed together in a situation which can't help but make them closer, no matter how hard Schreiber resists.
If only there had been more focus on the two women bonding and less emphasis on the violence which erupts when they end up in the bowels of Grand Central where arriving trains go through a seemingly endless tunnel filled with hidden nooks and crannies where homeless mole people reside and Torn keeps them prisoner. The two make various attempts to escape, but as per usual in films like this, they are just one step towards freedom when the villain strikes again.
Mulgrew, just on the threshold of stardom, is excellent, and for "Ryan's Hope" fans, it is a thrill to see the original Mary Ryan playing a New York City reporter (just like Mary was) just a few years after that character's untimely demise. Mulgrew is unconventionally beautiful, her gorgeousness a combination of spunkiness, wisdom, a huge heart and eyes that speak volumes even without words. Schreiber is also very good too, and Torn is a horrific villain that is as scary as Freddy Krueger and Jason, even without a hockey mask or a scarred face. Some great character performances (Roy Poole, Stephen Joyce, Maggie Trask) are also worth mentioning, but when surrounded by such ugliness, that quality is lessened and you wish that they had been given a better script so this film could have been more memorable than it was.