Stranger Among Us

This was an awful movie. It is some interesting subject matter, but the execution fell flat on it's face. The lead was supposed to be a "tough girl cop". However, she came across as a dumb blonde that was playing cop. She goes undercover within a Hasidic Jewish diamond cutting community to locate a missing man and missing diamonds. She discovers he has been killed and then sets up a sting for some Italian thugs. She ends up shooting one. This was the second time in the movie where some bad guy had got the best of her and she ended up killing him. Is this a real cop?

The more interesting part is the way that this orthodox community is portrayed. They are treated with respect. Their beliefs are out of touch with modern society. However, in watching you get a strong respect for their society, and feel that it is society that is more out of touch. The "touch girl cop" tries to convince them of the joys of carnal modern life, but they will have nothing of it. The son of the religious leader is happy to marry the girl that his father found for him. Ms. Tough Girl Cop just can't see how somebody can do that. He sees no problem with it. After all, he has rejected a few others. After writing to his fiance for some time, he is convinced that she is the one true person for her.

Then the plot holes come up. The engaged guy appears along with Tough Cop. (A no-no according to one of the commandments.) They even kiss. Yet, he still goes to meet his fiance with no issue. Later he pinpoints the true perpetrator of the murder. (What use was the cop here?) She does have the bright idea to give him the gun when they approach the murderer (a girl that had ingratiate herself in the Jewish community.) The cop gets knocked out, but the Jewish man shoots the bad girl. Then next thing you know it, he is meeting his fiance and the wedding occurs. Wait! He shot (and likely killed) a member of the community. He was alone with another woman (again!) And yet, the marriage just goes along as before. Wouldn't there be some concern and trauma here?

As if the plot holes were bad enough, the lead "tough dumb blonde cop" is often smoking and swearing. Is that supposed to make her tough? Alas, it just makes her even more fake. It was nice to see a movie where somebody goes into an utlra-orthodox community and comes away respecting it rather than pulling somebody away. Alas, the rest of the movie was just plain bad.