Directed by:
Rob GrantScreenplay:
Rob GrantCinematography:
Charles HamiltonComposer:
Michelle OsisVOD (3)
Plots(1)
They say every story about love, friendship and betrayal extols a key lesson in virtue and morality. This is not one of those stories. Jonah (Munro Chambers), Richard (Christopher Gray) and Sasha (Emily Tyra) have been friends a long time... maybe too long. Following a ferocious bust-up, Richard tries to make amends in the form of a sailing trip on his family yacht. After all, a friendship is the kind of ship that never sinks until the yacht breaks down and the trio are left stranded in the middle of the ocean. As food and water supplies start to sink and rivalries, dark secrets and sexual tension start to surface, the question becomes: which of these three broken humans will run out of air first? (Arrow Films)
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Reviews (5)
For a film that looks like the work of a student, Harpoon is a well-written and well-acted genre flick. You will surprisingly become comfortable with the trio of not exactly likable characters on the boat thanks to their authentic depiction. The interplay of lies, questionable friendships and secret romantic relationships works well. The final surprise is far-fetched, but it suits Harpoon’s B-movie nature. The blood and distastefulness give a reasonable boost to the attractiveness of the “intimate” conflict for viewers.
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Simple but fun. Three people pretending to be friends (or partners), a boat, jealousy, hypocrisy, lies… and a harpoon, that unfortunately doesn’t get as much screen time as one would expect given it made it to film’s title. But even then, three cunning friends manage to turn a trip in the open seas into hell. And when you believe you are in safe waters, with unpretentious, unambitious, a million-times seen tricks of the genre… well, I’d be lying if I said I was expecting the final twist. For that surprise, I’m rounding up the bill. 7/10
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Imagine Polanski's Knife in the Water on acid with a dash of cannibalism. This intense tale follows three characters, all with their own skeletons in the closet. Harpoon is a fun, fast-paced romp that can be both brutally rough and darkly hilarious. It expertly walks the line between black comedy and gripping survival thriller — never taking itself too seriously but still delivering some heavy moments and striking violence that will jolt any viewer.
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A very pleasant surprise from Canada that came out of nowhere. The film may sound simple at first glance, but at its core it's a fairly intelligent and properly black-humored spectacle. A trio of friends are stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean, and aside from the classic struggle for survival, there's also sexual tension, rivalries and dark secrets that subtly surface. The actors are likeable and it is very entertaining to watch the hell they experience on the yacht. The film is also pleasantly gritty in the finale and there is one surprising twist. The narrator's monologues are also perfect, giving a guide to how to survive in such a situation, and it's unexpectedly funny and smartly delivered. 75%
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Harpoon is a rather brutal comedy thriller, a well-timed release, as a companion to The Lighthouse, because both movies serve as cautionary maritime tales as to what to definitely avoid when off the mainland, so as not to attract ill-fortune. In addition, the fact that the three protagonists have done absolutely everything they could to make fate completely turn its back on them lays the foundations for a very black comedy. [Sitges 2019]
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