Sharper

Name: Sharper
Genre: Drama
Released: February 10, 2023
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Benjamin Caron, Briana Middleton, Darren Goldstein, Giullian Gioiello, Hannah Dunne

2023

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Ratings

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5.6

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5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Ratings

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Sharper

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Movie Details & Credits

Apple TV+ | Release Date: February 10, 2023 | R

Starring: Benjamin Caron, Briana Middleton, Darren Goldstein, Giullian Gioiello, Hannah Dunne, John Lithgow, Julianne Moore, Justice Smith, Kerry Flanagan, Lauren Yaffe, Lucy Taylor, Patrick Cooley, Phillip Johnson Richardson, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Samuel María Gómez, Sebastian Stan, Tom White

Movie Facts:

Streams on Apple TV+ beginning February 17, 2023.

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]

Director: Benjamin Caron

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 116 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Martin Carr

Feb 8, 2023

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. Read full review

Mary Siroky

Feb 7, 2023

Sharper is an incredibly entertaining entry into the canon of Apple Originals. While it might not have the threshold of darkness or intensity that classify it exactly as a neo-noir, this film is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. While these characters here might be lying and cheating their way to victory, Sharper comes out on top on its own merits. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Feb 7, 2023

Like the luxury goods that in one scene we see being stolen, the performances are out of the top drawer, and it is a great pleasure to see Moore on such good form: no one cries more needily, and with more nakedly sinister intent, than her. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Feb 8, 2023

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. Read full review

Moira Macdonald

Feb 17, 2023

Great acting is a con game, of the highest order, and it’s a pleasure to be Moore’s mark. Read full review

The Playlist Simon Thompson

Feb 10, 2023

However well Sharper is put together, the sum of its parts doesn’t quite add up, and it’s hard to ignore that something that laughs in the face of a linear narrative, and embraces bold complexities, feels too flat and par for the course. Read full review

The Daily Beast Nick Schager

Feb 7, 2023

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

alanpotter17

Feb 26, 2023

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 umFilmes 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.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Mar 12, 2023

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 ofI 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.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

royalguy07

Mar 11, 2023

Pretty lifeless confidence game movie. The characters and the plotting is very sporadic. And the ending is very predictable.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

shoulderoforion

Feb 18, 2023

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

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

snorkiss

Feb 23, 2023

More woke slop from Apple - white people bad, back people good! - It's a diversity feel good film for all the radical activists out there pretending to be a clever grifter film. The script is awful and so painfully obvious it's kinda insulting even by Apple's standards. Julianne Moore doesMore woke slop from Apple - white people bad, back people good! - It's a diversity feel good film for all the radical activists out there pretending to be a clever grifter film. The script is awful and so painfully obvious it's kinda insulting even by Apple's standards. Julianne Moore does her best but it's nowhere near enough - what the heck is she even doing in this drivel?! - Only 1 star because this film is dumb and racist.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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54	#54 Best Movie of 2023
29	#29 Most Discussed Movie of 2023