Harpoon is a limited-setting psychological thriller that depends majorly on two things: the performances of its perfectly grey-shaded leads and their expositional reveals. When three none-too-loyal friends (played by Emily Tyra, Christopher M Gray, and Munro Chambers) spend an afternoon on a yacht, it turns into an unpredictable life-and-death situation dotted with gory action and perky black humor.
The opening sequence introduces the leads, gives each one a little backstory (some quirky narration from Brett Gelman), and sets the tone pretty straight. When the short-tempered Richard (Gray) believes that his girlfriend Sasha (Tyra) has cheated on him with his best friend (Jonah), he goes into a fit of rage. He bloodies Jonah much to the dismay of Sasha, but when he realizes what he's done (purely out of anger), he tries to make it up to them by taking them on a yacht ride out into the middle of the ocean.
This is where the proceedings get interesting. We get more than one well-packaged twist, with writer-director Rob Grant toying with the idea of how to survive and who eventually will. However, some things did bother me as a viewer. Why would Sasha and Jonah, who clearly know Richard's anger issues, get him a harpoon as a birthday gift? Neither was I convinced about Jonah and Sasha quickly tagging along with Richard aboard the 'Naughty Buoy' yacht right after such an ugly spat.
Rob Grant (supported greatly by Gelman) delightfully sprinkles dark humor where it's required in an otherwise tense, grisly film. It's difficult to like any of the leads, and when the voiceover narrator gleefully acknowledges it, one can't help but chortle. This reduces the overall emotional payoff, and then it becomes all about the twists. It's engaging all the way (the cinematography by Charles Hamilton is solid), but don't expect 'Fargo' or 'A Serious Man' levels of finesse.
The opening sequence introduces the leads, gives each one a little backstory (some quirky narration from Brett Gelman), and sets the tone pretty straight. When the short-tempered Richard (Gray) believes that his girlfriend Sasha (Tyra) has cheated on him with his best friend (Jonah), he goes into a fit of rage. He bloodies Jonah much to the dismay of Sasha, but when he realizes what he's done (purely out of anger), he tries to make it up to them by taking them on a yacht ride out into the middle of the ocean.
This is where the proceedings get interesting. We get more than one well-packaged twist, with writer-director Rob Grant toying with the idea of how to survive and who eventually will. However, some things did bother me as a viewer. Why would Sasha and Jonah, who clearly know Richard's anger issues, get him a harpoon as a birthday gift? Neither was I convinced about Jonah and Sasha quickly tagging along with Richard aboard the 'Naughty Buoy' yacht right after such an ugly spat.
Rob Grant (supported greatly by Gelman) delightfully sprinkles dark humor where it's required in an otherwise tense, grisly film. It's difficult to like any of the leads, and when the voiceover narrator gleefully acknowledges it, one can't help but chortle. This reduces the overall emotional payoff, and then it becomes all about the twists. It's engaging all the way (the cinematography by Charles Hamilton is solid), but don't expect 'Fargo' or 'A Serious Man' levels of finesse.