HARPOON / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ROB GRANT / STARRING: MUNRO CHAMBERS, EMILY TYRA, CHRISTOPHER GRAY / RELEASE: OUT NOW
Three American twentysomethings stuck in a dysfunctional ménage à trois head out on a day-trip into the open sea, aboard the luxury powerboat owned by the father of one of the group. Spoilt jock Richard is attempting to make reparations for a brutal physical assault on his slacker friend Jonah who he accused of sleeping with long-suffering girlfriend Sasha. Once the trio is far from shore, relations between the three begin to unravel in the most alarming of ways, as any hope that all three of them will make it back to the marina alive sinks without trace.
Harpoon is a properly, deliciously dark indie horror-comedy, infused with an atmosphere that flips between the gory, the playful and the super-serious with such confidence that the tonal shift never feels arbitrary or forced. The interplay between the three characters (the only ones seen on screen, aside from those featuring in the brief flashbacks) is driven through a series of unpredictable turns which make it enjoyably impossible to guess which direction the story is ultimately headed in.
It’s difficult to review any of the many set-pieces and character explosions that punctuate the film without spoiling the fun of seeing the crewmates’ predicament unfold. As conditions aboard ship worsen, and supplies run short, the three are increasingly confronted by the pressures of the infamous ‘lifeboat dilemma’.
The entire film pivots on the believability of the relationships between these three protagonists. There’s great texture to the corrosion of each two-way relationship, as the drama burns through layers of deceit and deception to reveal long hidden truths, and the personal dynamic pitches between warm, reckless, cruel and downright hostile. The script is lit up with some great dialogue and some terrific super-dark gags as each of the trio is put through the physical and emotional wringer.
Christopher Gray is great as the dogged but impulsive alpha-male Richard. Emily Tyra brings out Sasha’s understandable exasperation at what she’s forced to put up with from the men in her life. But it’s Munro Chambers as the uptight, geeky Jonah who, in exploring the cauldron of emotions, frustrations, and insecurities lurking beneath his emo-grunge exterior, puts in the strongest performance of the three (he does have by far the best part to work with, to be fair).
The cinematography on Harpoon is on point throughout, making the most of the openness of the vast expanse of sea surrounding the boat; the vessel’s total isolation from the populated shipping lanes; and the cramped and claustrophobic quarters below deck in which tensions repeatedly erupt. As it does so, it channels some of the same cinematic energies as the 1989 Australian psychological thriller Dead Calm.
It’s not flawless. There are moments when the pace loiters; on occasion ‘naturalism’ and ‘hyper-realism’ get collapsed into one another, so that it’s hard to make sense of the characters’ reactions to events; and the narrator’s voice should be a more consistent presence than it is. But for the most part, this is hugely entertaining, clever, and confident filmmaking, showing just how well an indie-aesthetic can bring to life what feels like a ‘no compromise’ reading of an excitingly original script.
With its full-on gore moments and its uncomfortable premise, Harpoon will be too near-the-knuckle for some who might otherwise enjoy its ludicrously pitch-black comedic sensibilities. But those who can stomach the blood-letting are likely to cheer this inventive foray into high-stakes, high-jinks on the high seas: not least because of its determination to hold its nerve right up until the moment the closing credits roll.
