This review was made possible by a screener of Sharper provided by Apple TV+ for review purposes. Sharper releases on Apple TV+ on February 17.
Sharper is a psychological thriller full of secrets, lies, and deceit. A film about an elaborate con with enough twists and turns to keep views on the edge of their seats while they try to unravel the truth about what’s really happening underneath it all. Don’t trust anyone, not all is as it seems.
Boy Meets Girl
Sharper starts off like the perfect little Wattpad fantasy. A young woman walks into a quaint little bookshop in New York City and meets the love of her life. It’s a sweet, romantic story until it’s revealed that not all is what it seems. Sandra (Briana Middleton) does not have the perfect life even though she comes off that way at first. Tom finds out that Sandra has a brother who has gotten himself into a lot of trouble with some bad people. When her boyfriend Tom (Justice Smith) offers to help, it sets off a chain of events that will eventually unravel a massive secret long in the making.
The film also stars John Lithgow as Richard, Tom’s father and a billionaire businessman, and Julianne Moore as Madeline, Richard’s girlfriend and mother to Max, portrayed by Sebastian Stan. Max is shown to be troubled and difficult, kind of a loser. He’s far too old to be acting the way he does. Who he really is, and who the people connected to him are, prove that not all is as it seems. Once we meet Max, it’s obvious that he’s the main antagonist and conspirator for the plot of the film, but he’s definitely not a lone wolf.
I found some of the twists to be incredibly surprising, and I enjoyed seeing what was going to come next. It made it fun to watch, trying to figure out who was lying and when, and what was really going on the entire time. Some of the twists and secrets were obvious and common tropes, but there was still enough mystery to keep me engaged. By the end, I had several different theories as to what was going to happen and not a single one of them was right. I was completely blindsided by the final reveal. It was a little convoluted, so in hindsight, I’m not surprised I didn’t guess it, but I’m also glad I didn’t. If you like a film that keeps you on your toes, Sharper will do that.
Where Are We Going?
I love when a film uses non-linear storytelling effectively. I really liked the way that the film was structured; it kept me engaged the entire time. The beginning isn’t actually the beginning of everything but it’s the inciting incident that will drive the rest of the story. It’s then followed by quite a bit of exposition which usually comes first in a story. The film begins with Tom who meets Sandra, and then we go back to see her story, and as we continue through the film, as they meet other characters, we get to see their stories and backgrounds as well. Luckily, it’s broken up in a way that doesn’t become complicated or difficult to follow. Once everything comes together, you’ll be glad they structured it the way they did.
The entire cast is solid but my favorite performances came from Briana Middleton and Sebastian Stan, their scenes both together and apart were some of my favorites. Sebastian Stan plays the overly-confident conman well. Max is the type of guy who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else which could also be his weakness. Briana portrayed Sandra in such a way that you can never quite tell what she’s thinking which is perfect for this type of film. It was also really great to see John Lithgow in a dramatic role. I’ve mostly seen him in comedic roles so this was a welcome change. I loved seeing Julianne Moore in this type of role, she’s so much more than meets the eye. This was my introduction to Justice Smith and I really appreciated his talent. I’ll be on the lookout for him in the future.
Final Thoughts
Sharper makes good use of the psychological thriller genre, making the audience question everything they think they know. The story is a little shaky at times but it still stands on its own. At points, I think it’s supposed to be more clever than it actually is but overall I enjoyed it. Thankfully there are no bad performances, everyone brings their A-game. If you’re looking for a good con man movie, then I would definitely recommend checking out Sharper.
Sharper releases on Apple TV+ on February 17. Check out the trailer below: