The Stranger (2022) Ending Explained: Did Henry Teague Kill James Liston?

The Stranger is an Australian crime thriller film starring Sean Harris and Joel Edgerton in key roles. The story revolves around an undercover cop who forms a friendship with the suspect in a major missing person case.

Directed by Thomas M. Wright, The Stranger is based on the real-life investigation into the disappearance of Daniel Morcombe, a 13-year-old boy who went missing from Queensland in 2002. Eight years later, Bradd Peter Cowan was arrested for the murder of Daniel Morcombe after the boy’s bones were found in the Glass House Mountains.

In the movie, Sean Harris plays Henry Teague who’s suspected of being behind the murder of James Liston. Joel Edgerton plays the role of an undercover cop who forms a close association with Henry to uncover the truth.

The Stranger Story Summary

Paul (Steve Mouzakis) and Henry (Sean Harris) are two strangers who meet on a bus ride to Western Australia. Over the rest of the journey, Paul and Henry become friends to the length that Paul offers Henry some work through a man he knows. Henry agrees to the meeting but on the condition that he will not do any violence.

At the meeting spot, Henry is picked up by Mark Frame (Joel Edgerton), an undercover cop for the Undercover Crimes Unit who has assumed a fake name. Mark is investigating the abduction of James Liston that took place on 12^th May 2002. Mark introduces himself as a member of a gang that helps criminals like Paul, who’s also a member of the gang, wipe off their records and start anew.

James Liston was a young boy who was abducted from a bus stop near his home in 2002. Henry Teague has been a prime suspect ever since he was seen driving on the road around the same time the boy was last seen. While Henry was allowed to walk away based on lack of evidence back in 2002, the police are conducting an undercover mission in 2010 to nab Henry for the disappearance of James Liston.

The next day, Mark introduces Henry to Gary, the local head of the group. Gary informs Henry that Paul has to relocate for some reason, and it has created an opening for Henry to get in. Henry readily agrees to the job.

Somewhat winning Henry’s trust, Mark then heads on to question him about having a past criminal record. Henry admits to spending two years in jail for assault. Not finding the information he sought, Mark asks Henry to be honest with him.

After a makeover, Henry and Mark are asked to transport Paul to the airport. But before leaving, Paul asks Henry to trust Mark in order to be looked after in return. Later when Mark and Henry are out to burn Paul’s car, Mark also presses Henry to place his blind trust in him.

While Mark and Henry were out, the police rigged Mark’s car with recording equipment to keep track of all the conversations between the two. Mark’s senior reiterates that the mission’s success depends on the closeness Mark can develop with Henry.

To further gain Henry’s trust, Mark pretends to introduce him to a Detective Senior Sergeant – an important member of the gang – who helps the gang with collecting firearms through a dealer. On the way back, Henry reveals to Mark that he used to work as a tow truck driver who used to take vehicles to the wrecking yard. Henry also suggests that the wrecking yard is a great place to dump bodies as they never check what’s inside the car.

Henry takes Mark to his home where Henry reveals that his wife suffers from anxiety and depression. Finding a friend in Mark, Henry also introduces him to some of his favorite music. During the same night, Mark proposes to Henry that they will have to travel to Victoria for a big operation in progress.

While Henry agrees to go on the trip with Mark, by this time, Mark himself has started being affected by the life of an undercover officer. Being close quarters to who’s believed to be a murderer has started taking a toll on Mark’s mental health. However, he cannot take time off as too much time has been invested in developing a close bond with Henry. A sabbatical now would mean putting the whole mission in jeopardy and starting from zero.

In a few days, Mark and Henry fly to Victoria where Henry is told that he’s supposed to take a secure package back to Western Australia. In Victoria, Henry is again introduced to another police officer named John who pretends to be a powerful member of the gang. Through manipulation, Henry is forced to reveal his other name to John. Mark pretends to be upset at the revelation that Henry has been hiding things from him.

Upon his return to Western Australia, Henry starts behaving anxiously. The detectives decide that it is time for the final push. Henry is charged with a big assignment that will usher USD 100,000 his way. In anticipation of the money that’s about to come, Henry even marks a small plane for purchase.

The Stranger Ending Explained

However, at this point, it is revealed that Kate Rylett (Jada Alberts) and Graham Ikin (Fletcher Humphrys), the detectives in charge of the James Liston case, had already discovered Henry’s real name – Peter Morley – which connected him to the assault Henry confessed to Mark about initially. The detectives were even able to disprove Henry’s alibi. But they were stopped by the Undercover Crimes Unit from proceeding further as the unit planned to carry out an operation.

For the operation, Henry was summoned to Queensland for a coronial inquest, and on his ride back home, Paul was planted on the bus to lead Henry to Mark, an undercover officer at the unit. Ever since Mark has been working undercover to win Henry’s trust and gather evidence.

Just before the big assignment is due, Henry is again informed by one of the gang members that another subpoena is issued under Henry’s name in relation to the James Liston case. Mark attempts to question Henry about this revelation too but Henry reveals that he was only harassed by the police because he was present around the spot from where the child went missing.

Later, Mark and Henry are told that the assignment is canceled as John wanted to talk to Henry about the inquest. In the evening, John tries to intimidate Henry and get a confession out of him. John asks Mark to wait outside as he wants to talk to Henry alone.

With all the officers along with Mark listening to Henry and John’s conversation from another room, John attempts to get the truth out of Henry. John assures Henry that he will take care of everything if Henry confesses the truth. Trusting John to handle the inquest, Henry finally admits to killing James Liston.

Now that Henry had confessed his crime, the police needed to gather evidence. To achieve the same, Sergeant Cross (Matthew Sunderland) who was heading the undercover operations appears before Henry as the Cleaner, a member of the gang who ensures no evidence is found by the police. The Cleaner suggests that they go to the place where the body was dumped by Henry to remove any remaining evidence. In reality, it was a bid for the police to take Henry exactly where the evidence was lying.

Did The Police Arrest Henry Teague For The Murder Of James Liston?

In the meanwhile, Kate Rylett’s investigation has found that Henry had abducted a child in 1996 and assaulted him, leaving him with fractures and abrasions due to repeated trauma. While the police officers continue to discuss whether Henry’s confession is prosecutable, Henry guides Mark and Sergeant Cross through the scene of the crime.

The police finally decide to proceed with the arrest of the man behind the largest missing persons case the country had seen. However, the hurdle seems to be that the site pointed out by Henry is part of the Queensland floodplain, which has been flooding for the past eight years. It is possible that the floods may have washed away any remaining evidence.

Although Henry refuses to have committed the crime after being arrested, a large search party arrives at the site to look for any potential evidence that may help keep Henry in jail for his crimes. After days of searching, evidence that would implicate Henry Teague in the murder of James Liston is finally found, indicating that Henry’s days as a free man are over.

In the end, the combined effort of everyone has resulted in success as Henry Teague is found guilty of the murder of James Liston. However, the close interaction that Mark had with Henry to achieve this success seems to have left a lasting impact on Mark’s psyche as he continues to suffer from the side effects of working in close association with a murderer.

The Stranger is now streaming on Netflix.

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