‘Directed By … Sidney Lumet’ Vol. 2: ‘A Stranger Among Us,’ ‘Critical Care’ And ‘Gloria’ Reviewed

Director Sidney Lumet‘s later films might not be as revered as The Pawnbroker or Network, but Imprint’s Directed By … Sidney Lumet Vol. 2 box set makes a case for why they shouldn’t (with the exception of one) be ignored.

A Stranger Among Us (1992)

Every box set needs that one film that falls short of the others. A Stranger Among Us does a little worse than fall short. While it doesn’t commit the cardinal sin of being bland, it’s pretty abysmally insensitive, lacking believability, with a cringe-inducing performance by Melanie Griffith as a lunkhead cop who gets assigned to investigate a murder in a Hasidic Jewish community after killing someone (again), because naturally she wouldn’t be fired or suspended, just reassigned. It’s hard to say that any actress could’ve done much with some of the awful lines of dialogue Detective Emily has to say in this movie (“Hassidic scale of sexiness” and “talking Jewish” being two of them). She constantly puts her foot in her mouth yet remains ignorant of her ignorance (and, hey, the family who takes her in seem to accept her, so why should she be concerned?). It’s a film that raises a lot of secondhand embarrassment at the bull in a China shop that is Griffith’s Emily, especially when she’s next to other actors like Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), who are giving much more grounded performances. I haven’t even mentioned the romantic subplot, because of course, a female cop is going to fall in love while undercover.

A film more likely to warrant an MST3K riff track than a commentary, Imprint’s Blu-ray has neither, but it does include a well-crafted featurette written by C. Courtney Joyner and narrated by Mark Redfield and Larry Blamire. Seemingly a companion documentary to the one included on Imprint’s Vol. 1 set, this extra covers Lumet’s films from the underrated The Deadly Affair to The Wiz. A slightly strange timeline for this box set, considering The Wiz is the oldest (not the most recent) movie in it, but it’s still great for finding more films to watch. Even though the doc tempers expectations, I’d love to see The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots and Lovin’ Molly someday and can co-sign that The Anderson Tapes is excellent.

Critical Care (1997)

While very real in its depiction of the problems that arise when healthcare isn’t free and when the insurance you have (if you have insurance at all) can dictate the kind of medical care you receive, Critical Care is an unquestionably odd duck of a movie that somehow managed to pull an extremely A-list cast. Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Wright, and Wallace Shawn all have roles in this movie. James Spader plays a doc who makes the mistake of getting involved with a patient’s daughter (Kyra Sedgewick) and finds his career on the line. The surprise isn’t that he could be so dumb, but that he doesn’t completely lose audience sympathy. Albert Brooks plays the older, alcoholic attending doctor who holds immense power when he shouldn’t be allowed to practice. Brooks is great per usual, but whether it was necessary to put him in old age makeup for the part is debatable (even if makeup legend Rick Baker is the artist responsible).

The set design for the intensive care ward (including patient beds that look like inflatable swimming pools because they probably were) is extremely futuristic, and intentionally so, as film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson go over in their commentary track. Fans of Lumet’s Garbo Talks will be pleased to see Anne Bancroft in a small part as a nun. All of this is to say, Critical Care is a weird movie, but probably the most deserving of a critical reevaluation of the films in this box set.

Gloria (1999)

I’d argue Gloria would also be a candidate for critical reevaluation, but given the uphill battle it faces of being a remake of a John Cassavetes film from 1980 starring Gena Rowlands, the chances of that happening are steep. Still, dismiss this film at your own peril because Sharon Stone is great as a gangster’s moll who took the wrap for her man (Jeremy Northam). Freshly out of prison, she finds herself on the run with a kid (Jean-Luke Figueroa) because she stopped her ex from killing him. There are a few plot mistakes that could’ve been ironed out so easily that they stick out like a sore thumb. Namely, I don’t know what the purpose was of giving the young kid a sister, let alone casting Sesame Street’s Desiree Casado to play her (#JusticeforGabi). Nevertheless, this film is fun and the dress Stone wears in it is spectacular — and reminded me of safety pin gate from the latest season of Drag Race.

I wish Berger and Thompson had been brought on to record a commentary for this film, too, as they spare a few compliments for it in their commentary for Critical Care (apparently Gloria was being prepped while the medical comedy was being filmed), but, alas, other than an archival featurette, this Blu-ray is barebones.

Directed By… Sidney Lumet Vol. 2 is available on region-free Blu-ray now from Imprint Films. Keep an eye out for a separate review covering The Wiz and Daniel.