Sharper

There are grifters galore in Benjamin Caron’s psychological thriller Sharper that opens with what appears to be a innocent love story, set inside a small Greenwich Village bookstore. That’s where NYU grad student Sandra (Briana Middleton) meets Tom (Justice Smith), the nerdy proprietor. She’s searching for a copy of Zora Neal Huston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. They ‘click’ and move on to a little Japanese restaurant on Mott Street for canoodling over dinner.

The word sharper is another term for a cheating gambler—or “one who lives by their wits,” as the crime thriller Sharper says among its opening titles. Unfortunately, Sharper is dull and predictable, with a plodding pace, little suspense, and twists that anyone who loves heist films will identify well in advance.
Streaming on Apple TV+, Sharper has a fractured narrative, following four key characters at alternate points in the story. This type of structure can produce surprising reveals, but the script by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka (both of Superstore, and also producers) isn’t engaging enough in these portions to override impatience. Those looking for a twisty crime tale will consider Sharper a cheat.