The Bluff

Set during the tail-end of the Golden Age of Piracy, director and co-writer Frank E Flowers’s The Bluff opens with a gritty set piece that sees the ruthless Captain Connor (Karl Urban) forcefully take control of a merchant ship in search of his stolen gold. After he gets the answers he wants, the next step in Connor’s hunt takes him to the picturesque island of Cayman Brac, where the treasure is in the hands of Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), one of Connor’s former and most deadly crewmates. Once the pirates storm the island, Ercell is forced to face her past to save her family. Although sharp cinematography and moments of creatively bloody violence add some spark to the proceedings, a bland plot and an ensemble of lifeless characters take the wind out of this flick’s sails.

The Bluff is effectively a twist on the home invasion genre with a swashbuckling coat of paint. The feature is at its most entertaining when it leans into its B-movie sensibilities. A man is blown to pieces by a cannonball at close range, a vicious brawl leaves Ercell covered in blood, and a handful of Connor’s men are savaged by crocodiles. While these moments are satisfyingly visceral, the quality of the action is inconsistent. The violence loses its edge towards the final act, which results in the climactic showdowns feeling underwhelming in comparison.

While the impact of the action falters, the cinematography is a consistent delight from the atmospheric opening to the beautifully lit finale. Urban and Jonas are likewise solid in their respective roles. Urban is an enigmatic mix of charm and menace, while Jonas is excellent as the capable action hero. The problem, however, is that each of these characters is incredibly one-note. Their motivations and character arcs don’t stretch beyond what’s already visible on the surface, and the pair don’t have much chemistry despite their characters’ pasts. The supporting characters are also largely irrelevant to the plot and exist mostly to serve as flimsy plot devices.

The Bluff is an inventive spin on the period action film. It’s punctuated with pulpy violence and slick visuals, with Urban and Jonas being well cast in the leading roles. Given what it gets right, it’s disappointing that poorly fleshed-out characters and a lacklustre plot stop this film from meeting its potential.