Harpoon explores the close friendship between Jonah (Munro Chambers) who was recently left with no money after his parents’ death and his far from poor friend, Richard (Christopher Gray) and Richard’s sidekick girlfriend Sasha (Emily Tyra).
The three friends embark on a day journey aboard Richard’s rich and fancy boat where far into the water, secrets start to unravel, and their lives become at risk from being harmed by each other. With little places to run, they all agreed to dump anything classified as a weapon off the boat and into water before heading home.
As Richard attempts to start up the boat, the engine fails and they realise they’re stuck out in the ocean with each other. Having already thrown every item off the boat and a broken radio, the three must put their differences aside and come together for survival.
Harpoon is narrated by Brett Gelman, who adds humour to the film as he breaks down the chapters with his sass and sarcasm. Narrating wasn’t absolutely necessary, but it added an entertaining addition to what could’ve been a serious film, which I really enjoyed.
With the film only featuring three actors, it’s hard to pick out of three who stood out the most. Each actor brought something different to the table and was able to share the spotlight.
Something I picked up on early in the film is the details in the sound. Every movement and item can be heard so clearly, that you don’t just watch with your eyes, you can hear the specific noises and attention in the detail. Every footstep, every drop of blood, and splash can be heard.
It took me a little while to get into this film as I didn’t know if it was heading down the comedy or horror path, but my attention was snapped up quickly when panic set into the three characters, and I was intrigued to see how it all panned out.
I would classify Harpoon under a light horror film that packs plenty of mouth opening and disturbing scenes. The idea of being trapped out in sea is terrifying, but the film isn’t scary to have you jump. Although, there’s plenty of scenes that had me close one eye as I peeped through the other eye at the suspenseful scenes.
I really enjoyed this film, so do yourself a favour and check out Harpoon when it’s available to buy or rent in Australia.