Sharper – A Good Old-Fashioned Crime Thriller

Sharper marks the latest collaboration between A24 and Apple TV+ that continues their recent winning streak. The film follows a group of characters most of whom are con artists as they come in and out of each other’s lives in New York connecting in more ways than one. The film is presented in a non-linear structure spending nearly an equal amount of time with its central characters but primarily focuses on a young con artist named Max (Stan) who exacts revenge on his family for not accepting him and attempts to con other rich people to gain the wealth he desires. There’s a lot more under the surface than that but to avoid giving away any of the films many reveals, we’ll leave it at that. While not without its flaws, Sharper is a good old fashioned psychological crime thriller that audiences rarely see anymore and had it came out 15-20 years ago, it likely would’ve been a sleeper hit at the box office.

As mentioned, this film takes a non-linear approach to its storytelling and because of that, audiences will find themselves spending a lot of time trying to put the pieces together to try and find out how they are going to connect. It’s a risky approach that can sometimes severely damage a film but for the most part this approach works here as it makes the many twists this film contains all the more surprising because of it. Given this is a film about con artists, nothing is ever as it seems, and director Benjamin Caron and screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, do a good job at keeping audiences guessing throughout up until its final moments. They spends a considerable time with these characters and let audiences get to know them before they’re even aware of what’s going on. Once it hits a certain point and that bigger picture becomes clear, it does become a bit more predictable. But for the most part this is still a pretty cleverly put together little thriller that thankfully never becomes convoluted or confusing like it easily could’ve.

Luckily, the film boasts a great cast who are all bringing their A-game and who help give these characters a lot more personality than what might’ve been on the page. Stan probably has the most screentime out of anyone and he delivers another great performance that might be up their with his best. He plays this sneaky and manipulative Max almost too well as his true intentions or desires remain a mystery to audiences. Moore is strong as usual and really owns the second half of the film as Madeline even if it takes a lot longer than one would expect to be introduced to her character. Smith also impresses as Tom and even though he doesn’t have much to do, John Lithgow gives a very memorable performance in his limited screentime as Richard Hobbes. However, the biggest standout of the cast is by far Briana Middleton who easily plays the films most interesting and well-developed character in Sandra. Without giving anything away, she has to deliver a wide range of emotions and she’s an easy character to root for despite never really being able to trust her. In the end, this cast just works so well together and all have sizzling chemistry with one another.

The first half or maybe even the first two-thirds of Sharper are pretty great and really keeps audiences engaged and entertained in what’s going on. The third act unfortunately can’t quite keep up as it falters after showing most of its cards. Whether it was intentional or not, the third act also becomes a bit more campy and silly than its first two acts. The ending doesn’t completely derail the entire film, but it certainly brings it down and may leave some dissatisfied. Even though Sharper starts much better than it ends, it’s still worth a watch especially for those who like theses types of thrillers. It might not be as great as it could’ve been based on its first half but it is nonetheless still a solid time that harkens back to a time when these types of films weren’t so rare.

still courtesy of Apple

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Connor Carey

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