The Bluff
review by Bobby Blakey
We just don’t get enough pirate themed films anymore with the Pirates of the Caribbean being the last of the franchises to really deliver anything to the genre. Now Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban are taking on the world of pirates and vengeance with their latest film The Bluff co-starring Safia Oakley-Green, Vedanten Naidoo, Temuera Morrison and Ismael Cruz Cordova from director Frank E. Flowers. Could this film bring the swash buckling action fans love or will it not be worth the treasure it’s fighting for?
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The Bluff follows Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden who thought she had escaped her violent past as a pirate, finding peace in the Cayman Islands with her loving husband T.H., their son Isaac and her sister-in-law Elizabeth. But when her notorious former captain, Connor, arrives seeking revenge, Ercell’s world is torn apart. Forced to confront the demons she’s tried to bury, Ercell is thrust back into a deadly game of secrets and survival. Armed with lethal swordsmanship, cunning traps, and a fierce will to protect those she loves, she wages a brutal war against Connor’s merciless crew. Ercell’s fight to save her family becomes a journey of redemption, as she reclaims her power and embraces the warrior she once was.
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I am a fan of both leads but wasn’t sure how I felt about this flick from the trailer. It wasn’t that it looked bad, just worried it was giving all the good stuff in the trailer, but thankfully I was wrong and this film was a ton of fun. The story isn’t overly complicated and doesn’t need to be. It has a bit of a John Wick vibe in the pirate world and a female lead. This may sound silly, but it works and a lot of this is thanks to Chopra Jonas and Urban who are great adversaries and both go all in.
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas has taken on plenty of action projects before, but this one gave her so much more to do and she literally kicks ass. While her character is a badass, she is not this unstoppable force initially and it brings a little realism to
this tale. She is believable in both the sensitive mother/sister role as well as the ruthless killer she must bring back to the forefront. The other side of the coin is Urban who has a long history of interesting characters, but this is his most straight up villain that I remember and he relishes it. He brings a cool swagger and stoic personality to the role that oozes evil while still being eerily calm.
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The film features plenty of side characters that bring some meat to the story even though most of them, like Temuera Morrison, don’t get as much as fans might hope. The use of the island, caves, weapons and everything in between is creative and fun. They go all in with the violence complete with people getting blasted with cannon balls, stabbed in every part of the body you can think of and so much more. It hits the ground running and rarely lets up keeping the violent fun coming until the very end.
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This is a fun flick that I enjoyed way more than I expected to and left me wanting more. It’s perfect for the streaming service but still would have been cool to see it on the big screen. Decide for yourself and check out The Bluff streaming now on Prime Video.