Sharper

IN A NUTSHELL: The screenplay was written by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, and was on the Blacklist of best-unproduced screenplays in 2020. It was directed by Benjamin Caron.

The story is about several con artists who take on some Manhattan billionaires.

We're told that a "sharper" is someone who lives by their wits.

THINGS I LIKED: The fantastic cast includes Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan, Justice Jesse Smith, and Briana Middleton. They all do an excellent job.

The challenge is for the film to outwit its audience without our seeing what's going to happen because it's so obvious.

I love twists. There are lots of twists.

The party scene features Grammy Award-winner Samara Joy!

The filmmaking is stylish.

One of the characters asked another one which was her favorite movie. What would be YOUR answer? Comment below!

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: There are a lot of characters and storylines to keep track of, especially as we try to figure out how everything worked.

Many conversations happen in whispers, often making it difficult to hear everything that's said.

It's helpful to know ahead of time that the story is not told in a chronological, linear way.

Acts 1 & 2 move fairly slowly but then speeds up in Act 3.

The movie thinks it's more clever than it really is.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored.

Unmarried couples sleep together.

Profanity, including quite a few F-bombs We see someone shoot and kill another person Bloody deaths.

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Sharper didn't fail to entertain me. A perfect movie for a good evening in front of the big screen with a well written screenplay that keeps you interested in the story, and although it's a tiny bit predictable, well at least to me, it was still a good suspenseful mystery crime. It's about born con artists, about greed, about deception and betrayal, all good ingredients to make a decent movie. The acting was top and not only by the most famous actors. Everybody was believable with their performances and that's the main reason to watch this movie. The cinematography looked very professional. I wasn't expecting much of Sharper so I was pleasantly surprised.

I have to stop coming here and using User Reviews as criteria for choosing a movie... I almost didn't watch this because the reviews were blah. But it's better than you'd think if you're just reading the opinions here. It's stylish and well thought out, and the ending was "sharper" than I thought it'd be. The acting is solid, the plot is appropriately twisty, it's not overdone in any way in cinematography or directing. It's just a crisp grifter story, and if you liked movies like "Confidence," I suspect you'll like this too.

If I had one minor complaint, it's that the con artists here aren't faced with a lot of dangerous resistance through most of the story, easily finding non-threatening marks... it all looks so easy. But, as Madeline says "practice," and you get really good at it. That said, I liked the movie.

As "Sharper" (2023 release; 116 min.) opens, we are introduced to "Tom". He runs (and owns?) a rare and used bookstore in Manhattan. A customer walks in, and we learn she is Sandra, a Ph. D. student at NYU. They hit it off, and Tom asks her out to dinner... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from British director Benjamin Caron. Here he brings us a psychological thriller in which a con plays out. The movie is super plot-heavy so I won't say another word about that, but I will make the general comment that it's frankly impossible to fully grasp who is conning whom exactly until the movie's last scene. In other words: you are watching a film where you have no idea what is going on as it is happening. Julianna Moore gets top billing but actually doesn't appear in the movie until about halfway through. John Lithow is her ultra-rich partner. Briana Middleton shines as Sandra. The movie is highly stylish, and at times comes across as neo-noir.

"Sharper" received a very limited 1 week US theatrical release and then started streaming on Apple TV this past weekend. I watched it just last night. If you are in the mood for a decent thriller that doesn't break any new ground, I'd readily suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

A stylish thriller that tries to mimic the style of an '80s David Mamet screenplay, but falls short in executing the tough-talking puzzle movie genre. The film follows the story of Tom, a soft-spoken young man played by Justice Smith, who falls for a beautiful woman named Sandra. But when Sandra reveals her brother is in trouble and needs a large sum of money, the story spirals into a series of cons and double-crosses.

While the film is enjoyable to watch, with a succession of betrayals and twists, the story and characters are shallowly drawn and the dialogue falls short of elevating the film beyond its foundation. The film also tries to be too stylish, with a sleek production and lack of danger, missing the gritty feel that is essential for a successful thriller.

Despite its flaws, "Sharper" is still a decent diversion for those who enjoy thrillers and the talented cast, especially newcomer Briana Middleton, delivers engaging performances. If you're looking for a movie that you can watch without too much thought and enjoy a series of twists, then "Sharper" is a good choice.