Sharper is a sleek and twisty neo-noir riff on scammers that skimps on chaos and settles for a neat ending that leaves something to be desired.
A “sharper,” as told in the opening credits of the A24 and Apple collaboration aptly titled Sharper, is “someone who lives by their wits.” For the most part, everyone in Sharper keeps their wits about them. That could be what makes the film feel both like a surprisingly assured debut and as if something is missing. With a stunning cast, Sharper is everything that it needs to be — a sleek, neo-noir riff on grifters and scammers that is twisty and fun. But, just when things really ramp up, Sharper skimps on the chaos and settles for a neat ending that leaves something to be desired.
Sharper begins with a simple love story between Tom (Justice Smith) and Sandra (Briana Middleton). Sandra wanders into Tom’s bookstore, mentions Jane Eyre, and the two quickly fall into each other’s arms. There’s just one problem: Sandra’s brother owes some guys $350,000. Conveniently, Tom has that (and more) in his bank account. Here, anyone who would consider themselves a “sharper” should begin to piece together that Sandra may not be who she says she is. The film wastes no time in confirming those suspicions, revealing its kaleidoscopic tale of cons and grifters in the upper echelon of New York society.
After Sandra’s con on Tom, Sharper quickly reveals the structure in which it is going to tell its story, a deceptive, albeit believable move through time and perspective. This kind of deceptive storytelling was a hotly debated topic after the release of Glass Onion and that movie’s reveal of its own twist that relied on going back in time. Many claimed deceptive storytelling as a lazy stand-in for something smarter. However, Sharper cannot be accused of lazy storytelling and, in fact, it is the film’s deceptiveness that makes its story much more interesting in the first place.
Told straight, Sharper could’ve been an unremarkable if stylish con movie. As director Benjamin Caron and writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka unveil the layers at play in Sharper, the perspective of the viewer grows wider, and they become attuned to the movie’s rhythm. This rhythm may have doomed itself to predictability, but it’s a fun predictability. The fact that Sharper has a uniformly terrific cast also helps when it comes to this. Julianne Moore relishes her role as the younger wife of John Lithgow’s character. Additionally, Sebastian Stan turns in a performance that is equal parts sleaze and polish. Max is another character to add to Stan’s growing repertoire of discomfiting men, including his stint as Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy, or his cannibalistic boyfriend Steve from Fresh.
It’s Middleton as Sandra who stands out most of all, though. Sandra becomes the unexpected anchor of the film through all its reveals, even as she disappears for a little. The fact that Middleton is able to sell the ending is a feat in and of itself. For all of Sharper‘s twists and turns, it’s disappointing that the last one lands with the softest blow. Just when Sharper should go out swinging, it pulls its punches in an unexpected fashion, eschewing mayhem for something much cleaner. After nearly two hours of tension, though, it feels like a sigh of relief more than a release of any catharsis.
For all its shortcomings, Sharper manages to pull together all of its cons with a finesse that could have easily been bungled in less capable hands. Even if it fails at its greatest con of all — pulling one over on audiences — it still manages to be a taut thriller that feels fully realized. Hollywood has long lamented the death of the mid-budget, original adult movie, but Sharper certainly fits that bill. That Apple is a place that is willing to produce these should come as no surprise. Instead of having an established catalog, the streamer is slowly building out one filled with its own original content. Sharper is at least a worthy addition to that library.
Sharper releases on AppleTV+ on February 17. The film is 116 minutes long and rated R for language throughout and some sexual references.