The high-stakes world of crimes and cons, and a wealthy Manhattan family, are the focus of Benjamin Caron’s feature film debut “Sharper.” This alluring flick feels like the love child of “Succession” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” a slick and engaging two-hour thriller fueled by a group of people trying to get to the top.
But a borderline overwrought script from “The Sitter” Writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka can’t be saved by strong performances from Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, and leaves Caron’s film from feeling more blunt than sharp.
Julianne Moore Stars
“Sharper” starts off by providing backstories for some of its cunning characters. The first character we meet is Tom, an affable bookstore owner brought to life by a strong, likeable performance from Justice Smith. While working he meets Sandra (Briana Middleton), a NYU graduate student who comes in looking for a specific book to complete her thesis, the pair hit it off, beginning a harmless relationship. All seems fine until Sandra’s brother ends up in $350,000 worth of debt and comes to Sandra begging for help, Tom offers to cover the debt, but once money changes hands, things soon turn sour for the happy couple.
A scene from “Sharper.” (Photo: A24)
We’re then taken to another backstory, this time for Middleton’s character Sandra. We then learn how Sandra came to be in Tom’s bookstore and how she got to where she is today, a recovered addict with sinister secrets and ulterior motives who was taken under the wing of Max (Stan). Stan embodies the suave persona of Max with a bold performance that smoothly draws audiences into the world of “Sharper.” Max is a mysterious man who decides to take Sandra under his wing after paying off her parole officer. From this point onwards, “Sharper” throws its audiences into a twisting web of lies and deceit that keeps them guessing right up until its final moments with its interwoven cons and mysteries.
‘Sharper’ Has its Issues
While we don’t get to meet Julianne Moore’s character Madeline, a surefooted character who knows what she wants and how to get it, until nearly halfway into the film, she ends up being the best part of the film. Moore gives a stellar performance, but it can’t help but feels held back by the patchy screenplay and scarce backstory it provides for any of its characters. While we know Madeline and Max are con artists eager for financial gain, we know barely anything about their characters and how they came to be in the positions we find them in.
This ends up being one of the film’s biggest issues, we only get context for these characters and their actions once a large part of the film has already happened. “Sharper” also feels like it can’t get going until halfway through the film due to its non-linear narrative, and the backstories audiences have to sit through before they get to the film’s actual plot.
“Sharper” certainly benefits from the lush cinematography crafted by Charlotte Bruus Christensen (“The Banker,” “Fences”). The visuals use the towering skyline of New York City and grainy 35mm film to create unique and stylised cinematograph that compliments the modern aesthetic. However, even Christensen’s stunning work can’t distract from the film’s issues. Nonetheless, the film does showcase strong performances from its cast, even if they feel restrained by the screenplay they’re given to work with. The arguable highlights of the cast’s performances come from whenever Sebastian Stan shares scenes with Julianne Moore or Briana Middleton, his charming performance smoothly gels with each of his co-stars’ electric performances.
Julianne Moore in “Sharper.” (Photo: A24).
A Slick, Seductive Thriller
What “Sharper” lacks in its storytelling abilities it makes up for with its technicalities. A well-crafted thriller, Caron delivers an impressive directorial effort that shows he’s capable of moving between genres as he’s previously worked on historical dramas like “The Crown” and sci-fi epics like the “Star-Wars” series “Andor.”
The film’s near two-hour runtime allows for the story to be tied up as cleanly as possible, and doesn’t end up feeling too long or too short, even with its distracting backstories. “Sharper” is a slick, seductive thriller that even with one too many twists and turns, just about manages to be an entertaining film.
“Sharper” is available on Apple TV.
