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The high-concept thriller is a seemingly dying breed. Gone are the days when we would see a suspenseful film with a bare-bones premise and an A-list actor in the lead. Filmmaker Jason Buxton hopes to bring those days back withSharp Corner, starring Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) andCobie Smulders(The Avengers). Although Foster is incredible here, the movie itself is somewhat underwhelming, suffering from a bloated length and a lack of development for its themes and characters.
Sharp CornerReview
Sharp Cornerfollows a family man whose seemingly idyllic home life is thrown into disarray after a series of brutal car crashes happen on his property, causing him to become obsessed with preventing the next fatality. This type of bizarre, darkly comedic thriller is all the rage these days — just see the success of filmmakers like Yorgos Lanthimos — but Jason Buxton’s sophomore feature suffers from being unable to find its own distinct identity.
Like so many would-be “Hitchcockian” thrillers,Sharp Cornerexplores themes of obsession. However, these are ideas that have been explored much more effectively in the past. David Cronenberg’sCrashcomes to mind because of the plot similarities, but that film is much more provocative. Had the runtime been a bit tighter, this probably could have been much more effective, but as is, it’s weighed down by its familiarity.\
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Indeed, the premise ofSharp Cornerwould have made for a compelling 90-minute thriller and probably an even more engaging short, but when stretched out to 110 minutes, it needs to have a bit more meat on its bones to justify being so stretched out. Although it won’t ever leave the audience feeling bored, the initial intrigue wears off pretty quickly. When you add in an incredibly frustrating payoff (or lack thereof), it’s hard to justify the film feeling this bloated.
The character development inSharp Corneralso leaves something to be desired. The film should be centered around the protagonist’s relationships with his wife and son, and it takes until the third act for this plot point to pick up legitimate consequences. Because of this, the conflict feels frustratingly inconsequential in an emotional sense.
Ben Foster offers a committed performance in the leading role, riding a delicate line between weird and desperate. You can tell that the writing is purposefully deadpan, and Foster goes all-in on being detached. Cobie Smulders is less successful in her role, which is intended to be the emotional ground for the film, but she has really unimpressive chemistry with Foster. As a result, it ends up feeling mostly like a solo vehicle for Foster when it should be
From a technical standpoint,Sharp Corneris mostly impressive, especially considering its limited budget. The car crash sequences are impressively staged, offering the excitement that a thriller like this demands. That said, there are only so many different ways a car can move. These scenes have a guttural impact because of their brutality, but they aren’t exactly unique. Buxton also makes the most of his location restrictions. Despite the film being set primarily in the protagonist’s home and the eponymous stretch of road, Buxton manages to make it feel surprisingly expansive.
IsSharp CornerWorth Watching?
Sharp Cornerdoes feel like it has a lot of wasted potential, but its premise feels like that of a short film bloated into feature length. Ben Foster’s performance is strong, and several sequences are adequately thrilling, but its shallow approach to familiar themes and repetitive nature keep it from having much of an impact. If nothing else, it serves as a testament to Foster’s underappreciated talents and the fact that we need to get him more leading roles as soon as possible.
Sharp Corneris playing at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 5-14.
Sharp Corner TIFF Review — Ben Foster Strong in Underdeveloped, Overlong Thriller
Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
