X
- 2023
- R
- Apple TV+
- 1 h 56 m
- 2023
- R
- Apple TV+
- 1 h 56 m
Summary A con artist takes on Manhattan's billionaires in a drama that unfolds within the secrets of New York City, from the penthouses of Fifth Avenue to the shadowy corners of Queens. Motivations are suspect and expectations are turned upside down when nothing is as it seems. [Apple]
Directed By: Benjamin Caron
Written By: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka
- 2023
- R
- Apple TV+
- 1 h 56 m
- 2023
- R
- Apple TV+
- 1 h 56 m
Sharper
65
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary A con artist takes on Manhattan's billionaires in a drama that unfolds within the secrets of New York City, from the penthouses of Fifth Avenue to the shadowy corners of Queens. Motivations are suspect and expectations are turned upside down when nothing is as it seems. [Apple]
Directed By: Benjamin Caron
Written By: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
65
63% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
34% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
65
63% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
34% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Piled high with plot twists and packed full of peerless performances, Sharper brings together Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, and John Lithgow in a brooding long con thriller from Apple. Delivering something fresh from the streaming service, which continues to champion originality without limits.
Sharper is sinewy and clever, a keenly acted and written B-picture of the sort that were once myriad but now only come around once every few years.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 User Ratings
5.9
48% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
38% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
15% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 User Ratings
5.9
48% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
38% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
15% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
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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What "Sharper" lacks in sheer kinetics, it more than makes up for with its palpable intrigue and an eventual build towards a truly satisfying climax. Sure, this isn't necessarily reinventing the "confidence game caper" wheel or anything. In fact, I'm sure keen-eyed viewers will likely see certain double and triple-crosses coming from maybe a few hundred feet away. However, with director Benjamin Caron's stylistic vision and some sleek performances from every corner of the cast, you're sure to have more than just a decent time. I mean, who wouldn't with what's essentially A24's reimagining of the events of "Tommy Boy. Was I the only one that noticed this? By the way, that is — in no way — a gripe.
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Featuring multiple lead characters, many points of view, and more twists than a Twizzler, this construct may feel convoluted in spots. Yet it is a concise, well-told piece of entertainment that’s smart enough to know being too clever can be a crutch.
As dark as “The Grifters,” as over-the-top as “The Sting,” Sharper is a fresh take on a time-tested genre, a “Who can you trust?” tale from the Land of the Big Con.
As a dramatic thriller, Sharper isn’t quite as dramatic or thrilling as it could be — but it’s got more than enough Big Bastard Energy to give you a good time.
The problem is that the Mamet brand of tough-talking puzzle movie is harder to pull off than it looks, and writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka just don’t have the gift of dialogue needed to elevate this thriller beyond its foundation.
It’s an egregiously transparent endeavor modeled after the finest swindle-y works of David Mamet, but boasting none of those predecessors’ cleverness, surprise or precision.
Filmes de trapaceiros, gangsters e afins costumam ser deveras cansativos, não apenas pelo excesso de personagens e reviravoltas, mas também pelos absurdos a que a trama se submete. Mas neste exemplar de Benjamin Caron (o mesmo diretor do sucesso estrondoso "The crown") consegue realizar um filme clean sobre trapaceiros, e de certa forma num ritmo bem cadenciado e muito bem interpretado.
Falar de Julianne Moore é chover no molhado, mas me surpreendeu o próprio Caron e o querido Justice Smith (de o detetive Pikachu) que embora precise amadurecer nas cenas mais exigentes, vem apresentando uma evolução gigantesca.
Tal qual "entre facas e segredos" (porém bem mais econômico e verossímel), há aqui uma série de reviravoltas, com uma apatia da polícia que faz o roteiro caminhar, claramente concessivo para a diversão rolar solta.
Essa economia de referências pode facilitar os mais atentos em descobrir o desfecho, que é fácil de perceber. Ao menos torna o filme correto e redondo, sem grandes surpresas (talvez só aqueles não acostumados com filmes de detetive).
Basicamente brinca com as expectativas, tudo claro girando em torno do dinheiro fácil e em golpes calhordas. A simplicidade de como o desenrolar da trama é feito ao menos casa bem com a atmosfera adotada, extraindo do seu elenco boas performances.
Não espere altos ensinamentos ou enquadramentos criativos (neste aspecto, Caron ainda precisa amadurecer o meio de comunicação, cinema não é uma minissérie). Mas o design, o figurino, e destaco também o excelente trabalho de edição, que deixou o filme fluido mesmo com algumas indas e vindas e, pasmem, sem a irritante necessidade de ser didático.
É um filme para se acompanhar despretenciosamente e ver como a ganância humana ganhar as telas, com um final clichê que, ao menos, cai muito bem à proposta.
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I like thrillers that succeed in sustaining the suspense based on a good plot, and even if the plot isn't particularly complex, as long as the pacing is exciting and gripping, it's hard for me to lose interest.
However, when are several plot twists too many? Especially for the purpose of pretending to look cleverer than what you actually are? Sharper is a film that specifically puts that to the test.
Its structure is notoriously that of a puzzle, but this one doesn't unravel with a good flow, particularly since there are quite a few moments when the proceedings seem a bit robotic because the dialogue is so convoluted.
I mean, Sharper overcomes the most important obstacle and that is making you care where it goes and where it will end up, but accomplishing both with very good results is much easier said than done.
Ultimately, in my opinion, Sharper succeeds in making its length pleasant enough, but I have to make a comment on one major defect: it lacks bite and, to some extent, a bit of sordidness.
It's all very clean for something that clearly involves getting your hands dirty, and I'm not necessarily talking about blood.
It's worth a look but keep your expectations low.
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bad
[ bad ]
adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
not good in any manner or degree.
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SHARPER was by the numbers, and uninspiring, looking to copy off of Mamet but none of the intelligence or panache. The lead actress is someone I'd very much like to see again, but everyone else was just dreary, and uninteresting
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