Sharper: Uma Vida de Trapaças

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.

If you want an easy watch at home with fun twists and great actors then I highly recommend this movie. It's 2023, do people really expect every movie to come out and be 100% original? Or based on real events? It was an entertaining, dramatized and fantasized movie about con's who obsess over money. Yes there was times where it was predictable but sometimes I found this fun to guess and get it right. I was also was very wrong with my predictions and was left surprised, In a good way.

Overall some of these reviews are way too critical for a movie that you can watch in the comfort of your own home. People saying the script was off but I have seen plenty of other movies with a much worse script than this. I would recommend watching it, don't listen to some of these reviews.

You're not gonna see anything too groundbreaking here, but Sharper can provide some higher class thrills and intelligence. I found this film to be pretty intriguing. There's a suave style to the film that makes some of the expected story beats a little more fun. The cast is pretty noteworthy, with Sebastian Stan the standout in my opinion. He plays these mysterious characters well and is always a pleasure to watch.

This is a bit of a surprising film for A24 given it isn't quite as highbrow or bizarre as most of their stuff, but they do manage to class up a straightforward story a bit. Sharper won't blow you away with stunning plot twists, but it's a solid hit for Apple TV+.

Ignore the critics, this is a wonderfully entertaining thriller with more twists than a Coney-Island roller-coaster! All of the cast are *excellent* in their roles, and, while you can sorta see the end coming, it doesn't make it any less fun. Yes, the final twist is a bit over-the-top (and no, it wouldn't even remotely work in real-life), but don't let that stop you from watching this movie. A Mametesque (there, I had to say it) mash-up of Spanish prisoner meets House of Games by way of Perfect Murder, (and yes, there are a number of Hitchcockian psychological turns that make everything worthwhile.) See it with friends, while sipping a young, impetuous, spicy cab or merlot...

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.