'The Stranger' is a provocative, intellectual movie, and by the time it's over, Ray's complex characters have won the viewer's respect. But in contrast to earlier movies, in which he juxtaposes scenes of street life with scenes of interior conversation, most of 'The Stranger' is shot in the Boses' living room. Sometimes the conversations seem interminable, and the viewer most identifies with the Boses' adorable young son, waiting patiently for the talk to end and something, anithing, to happen. Made shortly before his death, 'The Stranger' is a fitting ending to Ray's 30-film career, a strong and underlined summing-up statement about capital-M Man and capital-C Civilization