Bullet Points: The Stranger

Kathy Long is a well decorated champion kickboxer who came along at the perfect time to be a world class martial artist who also had acting skills, the early 1990s. Kathy Long might not have had as many roles as the star, but after watching Knights I knew she shouldn’t be a stranger to this website any longer, which is why The Stranger was a perfect choice for the next Bullet Points. See what I did there?

• Angel in Lakeview – The Stranger opens with Andrew Divoff as Angel doing Tai Chi on top of a rusted out car. You got me right from the start with that kind of opening. Angel is the leader of a biker gang that uses and abuses the dusty town of Lakeview. Many in the town don’t mind because the gang at least brings some money into the town, but the downside is living in fear. Divoff really can do it all, from playing good guy biker in Running Cool to bad guy biker in The Stranger, but this might be his sweet spot. He is evil and deplorable throughout and you want him to go down.
• Stranger Danger – Who better to come to take down Angel and his gang than Kathy Long, credited only as The Stranger. She shows up with a motorcycle of her own and we know exactly what The Stranger is about when she kicks the asses of two no good bikers. The highlight of the fight is when she grabs one of the bikers by the head and proclaims, “My name is not bitch” and then snaps his neck. I like her already.
• Cop Out – You might be thinking why doesn’t the law do anything about the biker gang in Lakeview. Well, Sheriff Cole (Eric Pierpoint) once tried, only to have Angel and his gang take Cole’s fiancé Bridget and gang rape her. Cole has never been the same since. It must stink for Cole, but I wonder how Bridget feels about the ordeal Oh, wait. Angel had her murdered afterwards. Ouch. Did I mention that The Stranger has an uncanny resemblance to Bridget?

• Adult Hardware Store – Ginger Lynn, whom you might remember from… non-action movies, plays hardware store owner Sally Womack. And when I say hardware store, that is only because that is what the sign on the outside says, but it has everything. In one of the greatest scenes in a movie that has no reason being in the movie, The Stranger goes to the store and buys one of the helmets that holds two beer cans on the side. I knew I liked her. Sally doesn’t agree with me. Sally has the hots for Cole and is jealous over the attention Cole is paying to The Stranger. Just what our action movie needed, a love triangle that nobody cares about.
• Wild Child – One of the other major players in The Stranger is the young sister of Bridget, Cordet. She is now a near feral child that lives on the streets of Lakeview that doesn’t speak anymore or want to be around anyone. The Stranger, with her strong Bridget like resemblance, takes Cordet under her wing, and there is even time for a make over montage. Don’t get too excited, it includes a scene with Cordet crying in the bathtub while being scrubbed by The Stranger. An afterschool Special called and wanted their scene back.
• Something Is Rotten In Lakeview – The mayor of Lakeview, Carl Perkins (played by Hunter van Leer and not Carl Perkins), along with Deputy Sheriff Stowe are up to no good. They are corrupt, and scheme with Sally to get rid of The Stranger, but fail miserably at every attempt. They are almost comically bad at scheming. A highlight would be when the trio tries to capture The Stranger leading to a fight with Ginger Lynn taking one right in the face. Not that it is something new for her.

• Spooky Season – As The Stranger continues, the mystery who The Stranger is grows, but Spoiler Alert, there is no resolution. Is The Stranger a ghost with a connection to the town, or is she just an ass kicker on a motorcycle? No answer is needed as the ambiguity is a good thing. I lean towards the mystical side due to one scene. The Stranger mimicking Angel doing Tai Chi in the moonlit desert night. Powerful stuff. Of course, I didn’t know ghosts could get busy in the sheets, so I don’t know what or with whom Cole was doing in his bed.

We all know where The Stranger is going to end up, with a showdown between The Stranger and Angel. And this one plays out right in the middle of town, old west style. Kathy Long might not be the most skilled kickboxer turned actor, but the role of The Stranger really suits the stoic and expressionless portrayal. More importantly, her fighting skills and physicality make up for everything else. Divoff can really play an evil bastard with the best of them and The Stranger is better off because of him. The Stranger Bullet Points will be better off with some The Stranger Bonus Bullet Points.

• Familiar Faces – Angel’s gang includes Danny Trejo (513 Degrees) and Nils Allen Stewart (The Horde), whose ponytail may be more familiar than his face. I know Andre Rosey Brown, who plays motorcycle mechanic Tony Brown, has a big presence even in little roles, but I can’t help remembering him from The Big Fall.
• G-Men Quote – “FBI is a bunch of god damned sausage enthusiasts.”
• Big Tease – The Stranger goes most of the movie with a whip on her hip only for her to never use it. 
• Best Proverb Quote – “Do you know what killed the Katz?” “Curiosity.”