'Sharper' Review: Remember when the Whodunit was evil? (And maybe a little stupid?)

The opening credits of Benjamin Caron's beautifully edited and often terrifyingly predictable drama "Sharper" tell us everything we need to know about what's to come. They're slick, a bit mean, and definitely a bit silly. In fact, "generic" is too generous a term, as Caron opens his first feature with one word: "Sharper". Flash to his textbook definition, wonderfully simple in its information: "one who lives by his understanding".

Right everyone? Not like that, not like these people. God, you hope you're not like those people.

Based on the Blacklist script by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, "Shaper" slices and dices a classic con story and refashions it as its own kind of thriller, one where everyone is a little guilty or guilty or deserves simply being tricked, and revels in piling on the simply nasty twists for fun. Told backwards (until it wasn't) and split into chapters named for particular characters (until it was pretty much everyone), "Sharper" doesn't isn't as smart as he'd like to believe, but for almost two hours it will keep the audience in suspense.

Unfortunately, the less the public knows about "Sharper", the better. Even pitching the film as a con-drama with a stacked cast — Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, John Lithgow and breakout Briana Middleton — will keep viewers on their toes throughout, constantly wondering who's scamming whom. (and how and why, etc.). Drop it, if you can.

Caron tries just that with the first chapter of the film ("TOM"), which introduces us to a mild-mannered bookstore manager (Smith) whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of a pretty doctoral student (Middleton) with a taste for the books he likes the most ("Jane Eyre", one of many quirky details that don't quite fit these characters). Soon, Caron — an experienced television director, from 'Andor' to 'The Crown' and 'Sherlock' — is lavishing a cherished romance on New York, as Tom and Sandra grow closer through their love of books and the traumas of life. shared childhood. /p>

"Clearer"

Apple original films, A24

All of this is interrupted when Sandra's invisible brother, her only living relative! - begins to look for money to get him out of a shady situation. And wouldn't you know, mild-mannered bookstore manager Tom just happens to have a big trust fund, which he can't wait to open to help his wife love. Who is scamming whom? Well, you can guess, but "Sharper" still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, going back in time to clarify how Sandra got involved in this nefarious scheme, care for c...