Benjamin Caron’s “Sharper,” currently in limited theatrical release and streaming on Apple TV+ next week, sparks the imagination with thoughts of what Julianne Moore and John Lithgow could accomplish in an ’80s David Mamet screenplay like “House of Games” or “The Spanish Prisoner.” It unfolds as a narrative jigsaw puzzle, seamlessly transitioning from a theatrical feature to a mid-’10s streaming series, offering an engaging experience as it navigates through various cons until the final revelation. However, replicating Mamet’s tough-talking puzzle movie style proves challenging, with writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka lacking the necessary gift of dialogue to elevate this thriller beyond its foundational appeal. “Sharper” aspires to mimic Mamet’s aesthetic, yet the dialogue falls short of creating the intense, revealing dynamics that characterized Mamet’s most successful films. Visit my flixer for more!
