Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      We Were Strangers

      Released Apr 27, 1949 1h 46m Mystery & Thriller List
      73% 11 Reviews Tomatometer 67% 100+ Ratings Audience Score When her brother is murdered, China Valdez (Jennifer Jones) swears revenge on the corrupt Cuban government he had been protesting. She joins the resistance led by Tony (John Garfield), an American with a plan that promises devastating results to their enemies. First they'll kill a government official, then plant a bomb at the funeral, which will wipe out the dead man's associates when it explodes. All they need to do is to dig an underground tunnel from China's house to the cemetery next door. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (5) audience reviews
      Audience Member Jennifer Jones proves why she was one of just two actresses receiving four consecutive Oscar nominations. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member I hope he died quickly for his sake and mine. Tony Fenner is an American in Cuba with visions of bringing down the Cuban dictator and he has the financial backing to make it happen. When he discovers that the president and the majority of his strength will all be at one place at one time, Fenner plans an extravagant assassination attempt. As he makes his plans he recruits numerous locals, including a woman whose brother was murdered by the president's men (they fall in love). Will Fenner and his recruits free Cuba or will local law enforcement bring him down? "We all have stuff we want to keep hidden...even the best of us." John Huston, director of The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Man Who Would be King, and Prizzi's Honor, delivers We Were Strangers. The storyline for this picture is very interesting and contained better than anticipated characters (that were definitely fun to follow). The villains are very well presented and the conclusion is unpredictable. The acting is solid and the cast includes Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Gilbert Roland, Ramon Novarro, and Pedro Armendariz. "Are you crazy?" "Perhaps. I don't know what sanity is anymore." I always try to DVR John Huston pictures when they air on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). This picture hasn't received quality reviews on rottentomatoes...and I don't understand why. I felt the final shootout was awesome and the ultimate conclusion was gripping and well done. Overall, this is a worthwhile picture that I definitely recommend seeing once. "They have one hundred faces and one name." Grade: A Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member gr8 cast & director make this political drama go Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member It's very strange that this film about terrorists who are willing to kill innocents even if their cause is 'just' was made in Hollywood. Well, as long as it's for 'freedom' I guess it's ok! Woo! Freedom! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Political drama of the initial Cuban upheaval pre-1933. Shown from the vantage point of the revolutionaries and their plot to overthrow the oppressive government in one fell swoop this is an unusual film for it's time period in that it doesn't shrink away from stating that the freedom workers might have to take innocent lives to acheive their goals. Huston's direction is assured and Garfield and Roland acquit themselves well but the picture is marred by two things. First is the overly obvious rear projection shots that occure throughtout the film and the larger problem that Jones is miscast in a part that would have fit Katy Jurado like a glove. She seems neither gritty enough, she is consistently glamourous even when digging beneath a cemetery!!, nor even remotely Cuban to be believable. Not a bad film just flawed. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      78% 67% Dead Reckoning 93% 91% Fail-Safe 82% 63% The Sniper 61% 43% Eyes of Laura Mars 53% 45% Little Nikita Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All We Were Strangers photos

      We Were Strangers

      We Were Strangers (1949) We Were Strangers (1949) We Were Strangers (1949) We Were Strangers (1949) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (11) Critics Reviews
      Bob Thomas Associated Press Tense and intelligent. Jul 25, 2019 Full Review TIME Magazine Never for a moment a dull movie, Strangers is often too facile or too far away from strict artistic honesty. Coming from the man who made Treasure of the Sierra Madre, it is a disappointment. Aug 18, 2015 Full Review Variety Staff Variety In We Were Strangers, John Huston has come up with a finished job of directing that edges close to his best films. Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Robin Karney Radio Times Even though it dissipates its serious political theme with too much mechanical detail, the film is still tense and atmospheric. Rated: 3/5 Aug 18, 2015 Full Review TV Guide Huston's follow-up to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Key Largo doesn't rank with either of those classics but is certainly entertaining in its own right. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 18, 2015 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: B- Mar 4, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When her brother is murdered, China Valdez (Jennifer Jones) swears revenge on the corrupt Cuban government he had been protesting. She joins the resistance led by Tony (John Garfield), an American with a plan that promises devastating results to their enemies. First they'll kill a government official, then plant a bomb at the funeral, which will wipe out the dead man's associates when it explodes. All they need to do is to dig an underground tunnel from China's house to the cemetery next door.
      Director
      John Huston
      Screenwriter
      John Huston, Peter Viertel, Robert Sylvester
      Distributor
      Columbia Pictures
      Production Co
      Columbia Pictures Corporation
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 27, 1949, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 29, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 46m