Sandra (Briana Middleton) meets a young bookstore owner Tom (Justice Smith) and the young lovers find themselves in a dire situation as Sandra attempts to bail out her brother from a mob to whom he owes a large sum of money…we then see the truth beneath the lies and the con has begun. But who’s scamming whom?
Sebastian Stan and Julianne Moore come into the story midway through as Max and Madeline, a duo whose relationship is a surprising one. And let’s not forget Jonathan Lithgow who gets tangled up in this sticky web as the arrogant hedge fund billionaire. Each character who is introduced creates yet another layer of intrigue and complexity making “Sharper” a cleverly twisted tale. Ultimately, the story weaves all the characters together, giving us insight by telling the story in chapters, from each character’s point of view. It’s this backstory that initially seems convoluted and preposterous, but it always keeps us on our toes and the finale is an unexpected one.
While the story is twisted, careening around every corner at high speed, the actors give us a top performance and we are on the edge of our seat awaiting the next shoe to drop.
“Sharper” doesn’t have a dull moment in it even if you do begin to question its rationale and logic. Just sit back and enjoy the ride filled with unexpected turns, bumps in the road, and plunging descents.
3 1/2 stars