![]() Looking a bit like Chris Cornell (RIP) now he’s grown up a bit, his Jonah starts out as a down-on-his-luck loser before revealing hitherto unseen depths of darkness and desire. Chambers, however, is the real revelation here. Neither a pathetic character nor an outright villain, he’s easy to empathize with while still remaining pretty horrible. Likewise, Gray plays so much more than a rich asshole, injecting his Richard with sensitivity and intelligence. The way she interacts with the two lads gives Harpoon much of its most suspenseful moments. She’s a tough chick but delicate at the same time completely comfortable when in control but utterly exposed otherwise. Sasha is clearly the best character right from the outset, and Tyra’s performance is magnetic, layered with perfectly-judged notes of dark comedy (when asked “How could you!?” by her distraught boyfriend, she replies “Which part?”) and barely-concealed terror. Even when things go to hell, there’s still a sense of camaraderie and an easy rapport between the three that makes it easy to believe they’ve been friends forever, with all the requisite baggage it entails. The best movies make us wonder what the characters’ lives were like prior to the events onscreen and Harpoon, buoyed (hey!) by a trio of terrific performances, succeeds in making us care about these arguably unsympathetic people and everything that’s led them to this point. The revelation of one character as a Snape-like sad sack (only a million times worse it’s unlikely anyone will be getting an “Always” tattoo for this dude) is stomach-churningly realistic. This is a story of abuse and obsession, but it’s also a class struggle between two have-nots and the rich friend who bankrolled their existence while simultaneously treating them like garbage. There’s a wonderful sense of grossness here that’s difficult to capture in a confined space as nice as a boat cabin. The red stuff flows throughout, but it seeps and congeals as the characters’ lips dry out and their eyes hollow. ![]() ![]() Grant understands that relentless carnage in such a confined space won’t hit nearly as hard as well-considered bursts of splashy gore. One particularly gruesome death, by propeller, will remain in the memory for as long as the floating leg in Jaws and it’s only about as gory (so, not at all). Harpoon is messily bloody, but the violence isn’t constant. By the time the flick reaches its darkly hilarious conclusion, you’ll be dying for the respite of the ocean. As a result, Grant is forced, just as the central trio are, to improvise in increasingly nasty and horrifying ways. ![]() The tension is built entirely off the interactions between the three protagonists, with no storms, sharks, or even a traditional antagonist in sight. Tensions rise and dark secrets are revealed as they’re stuck with only each other for company.Īt first, it seems obvious where Harpoon is going but, although the setup for Rob Grant’s film is devilishly simple, it’s anything but predictable. Seemingly a misunderstanding, it’s the perfect setup for what’s to come, as the group embarks on an ill-fated trip out to sea on Richard’s swanky boat, The Naughty Buoy (great name), and subsequently get stranded. Harpoon begins with Jonah, grappling with the recent loss of his parents, being set upon by Richard for an alleged indiscretion with Sasha.
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