Sharper

Available on Apple TV+ now

The latest big budget offering from Apple is certainly unafraid to wear its influences on its sleeve, such is the keenness with which it seeks to emulate the sort of slick con artist fare most associated with writers such as David Mamet and Raymond Chandler.

For this reason, Sharper maintains an air of familiarity that is initially appealing but soon becomes reductive, despite the best efforts of director Benjamin Caron. Both he and cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen deliver a film that is uber stylish and offers a resplendent view of New York City, so often the star of pictures in which it is set.

And yet, they are ultimately let down by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka’s screenplay, which features twists that are nowhere near as surprising as one suspects either writer imagined. Even worse, they give the film’s stellar cast little to do, with both Julianne Moore and in particular Sebastian Stan turning in performances that feel like re-treads of previous, more impressive work (last year’s Fresh being a case in point for the latter). Of the ensemble, Brianna Middleton is probably the only standout, despite the fact that even her character’s arc winds up being less than satisfying.

Some viewers might take pleasure in Sharper’s rehashing of genre conventions, but I suspect that most will find it an ultimately forgettable affair.