Harpoon is a movie I’d been hearing about through its buzz on the recent festival circuit, and I’m happy it lived up to the hype.
That said, the less you know about it, the better, so all I’ll say on the plot is thus: a trio of friends (two best friends and the girlfriend of one of them) take a day trip on a boat to semi-begrudgingly celebrate a birthday.
Once things kick off, it’s immersively unpredictable. Character backstories are smartly drip-fed through organic arguments, and the plot is driven forward at an efficient pace by plausible (yet sometimes bizarre) crises. All of it takes place entirely within the confines of a relatively small boat, but the film never feels gimmickly claustrophobic and sprints through its brisk 90 minutes.
More black humour than horror, but with plenty of genre tropes to keep one satisfied, this could easily be a three-act play. Steady direction/camerawork and engaging performances (the entire cast is fun to watch) elevate this beyond typical B-movie status, but it’s the deadpan comic dialogue, wry tonal shifts and the dry wit of the occasional narrator that give this a wickedly sharp edge. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll vomit – this gem has all the hallmarks of a vintage black comedy campfire horror tale.
Score: 🎃🎃🎃🎃
