As a generic term for adventure films in a historical setting, “cloak and dagger” is now just as antiquated as most of its representatives. The great classics like “Under the Pirate Flag” (1935) or “The Red Corsair” (1952) had already acquired a thick patina when Johnny Depp as the mascara pirate in “Pirates of the Caribbean” (2003) breathed fresh air into the sails of the genre with lots of situational comedy and first-class special effects. In the start of the series, which has so far consisted of five parts and has been outrageously successful with worldwide box office receipts of around $4.5 billion, Zoe Saldaña (“Avatar”) also played one of her first major roles as Sparrow's old flame Anamaria. Even if the later Oscar winner's memories of the filming were rather mixed, a pirate adventure with her in the lead role was announced in February 2021 – at that time still for Netflix.
However, it would take another three years before “The Bluff” actually went into production, albeit under different sails: Amazon MGM Studios had now secured the rights. Zoe Saldaña remained as co-producer, but was replaced in the lead role by Priyanka Chopra Jonas from the hit Amazon spy series “Citadel”. The decidedly humor-free action adventure with a martial female protagonist, lots of blood and brutality initially comes across as a refreshingly adult antithesis to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. But then the very generic plot directed by Frank E. Flowers (“Haven”) simply leaves you cold because of the flat characters.
Ex-buccaneer Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) knows how to defend herself when her island is attacked by pirates.
The year is 1846: Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) has been retiring on the Cayman Islands for a few years now. There she leads a quiet life with her sailor husband TH (Ismael Cruz Cordova), her son Isaac (Vedanten Naidoo), who suffers from paralysis, and her sister-in-law Lizzy (Safia Oakley-Green). But that will soon be over: Captain Francisco Connor (Karl Urban) and his crew have taken TH hostage on the open sea and have come to reclaim a once-stolen treasure of gold. But the ex-pirate doesn't give up that easily, on the contrary…
Not guaranteed family entertainment
Already in the first minutes of “The Bluff” it becomes more than clear that this is not about family-friendly (Disney) entertainment, but that it is aimed exclusively at an adult audience: The villain, grimly embodied by New Zealand “The Boys” series star Karl Urban, takes over a beach in a veritable assassination orgy. There are shots in the head, bodies pierced by sabers and – to set an example – even the bloody blowing up of a villager. At the same time, things are just as brutal in Ercell's hut, which can only be defended against the intruders with effort and the pragmatic use of all kinds of stabbing tools.
The fast-paced hunt – complete with severed limbs – soon continues in the jungle of the island and in a secret rock hiding place, with a number of traps or sophisticated ambushes in “Rambo” style continuing to thin out the number of Connor’s followers. At the end there is a duel (already teased in the trailer) on a rocky cliff, which is literally filled with artificial-looking CGI fire and an overexposed green screen ocean panorama. The simple plot, which is low in surprises and tension, becomes predictable – and there is no time for the background of the characters, who therefore seem interchangeable. In two flashbacks lasting just a few seconds and a handful of lines of dialogue, Ercell's slave past is hectically dealt with on a pirate ship.
After “The Wrecking Crew,” Temuera Morrison can be seen in his second major Amazon production in a row within a few weeks.
After all, Priyanka Chopra Jonas suits the role of the buccaneer action heroine damn well – despite an excess of make-up. It is her first Hollywood leading role after the rom-com “Love Again” before she returns to her Bollywood home for the hotly anticipated “RRR” sequel “Varanasi”. With an extremely physical performance and at times acrobatic agility, you can clearly see how much fun she has in the part. No wonder, after all, Chopra Jonas has repeatedly emphasized the special importance of the role for her in interviews: Although a leading actress in a pirate adventure was already seen in the mega-flop “The Pirate Bride” (1995) with Geena Davis, the representation of women from the Indian subcontinent in leading roles in Hollywood productions remains generally poor to this day.
“Real pirates are murderers, not heroes,” Ercell says in a line of dialogue halfway through the film. For a short time, “The Bluff” makes a rather alibi-like attempt to reflect on historically long-outlived myths and motifs of “piracy”. The colonization of the world and with it the glorious age of freedom and anarchy on the world's oceans was completed in the middle of the 19th century. The search for gold has given way to collecting a bounty offered by the British government as a means of livelihood, which would also mean a pardon for previous misdeeds. Very briefly, associations with Clint Eastwood's masterpiece “Merciless”, which deals with numerous western clichés, arise – before “The Bluff” then switches back to run-of-the-mill action skirmishes.
Conclusion: The approach, which is as grim as it is brutal, deliberately sets “The Bluff” apart from the family-friendly “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. However, the blood-soaked and fast-paced adventure disappoints – despite Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a convincing action heroine – with flat characters and a heavily CGI-filled finale.