Sharper (2023)

Sharper is the kind of sleek New York thriller that makes you lean in, not because it’s loud, but because it’s confident—gliding from one perspective to another like a well-dressed pickpocket slipping through a crowded room. Benjamin Caron stages the story in crisp, addictive vignettes that keep you recalibrating who holds the power, and the fun is watching the movie’s elegant machinery click into place without ever feeling showy. Julianne Moore brings a cool, controlled magnetism, Sebastian Stan plays charm with a blade hidden inside it, and Justice Smith gives the film a bruised humanity that raises the stakes beyond the money. If you like your crime dramas twisty, polished, and performance-driven, this one’s a smart, satisfying con; if you prefer straightforward narratives, its shifting structure may feel like part of the hustle.

Sharper is clearly aiming for a sleek, puzzle-box con thriller where each chapter flips what you think you know, and on that level it’s competently assembled and nicely acted, with Julianne Moore bringing real polish. The problem is that the movie leans so hard on constant reversals that it can start to feel like a stylish exercise rather than something genuinely tense or emotionally involving, and the dialogue isn’t sharp enough to make the scheming feel iconic. If you love glossy New York grift stories and don’t mind some contrivances as long as the plot keeps moving, you’ll probably have a good time. If you’re hoping for the bite, depth, and airtight cleverness of the best con movies, this may play more like a modest diversion than a must-see.