HARPOON (2019)
2-Disc special Edition
Label: Black Fawn Distribution
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 83 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 & 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Rob Grant
Cast: Christopher Gray, Munro Chambers, Emily Tyra
Director Rob Grant's Harpoon (2019) is a tightly crafted and tension-filled thriller set on the ocean, opening with brutal dust-up between best-friends Jonah (Munro Chambers, Turbo Kid) and the hot-tempered Richard (Christopher Gray, The Mist TV series). The fight is quickly broken-up by Sasha (Emily Tyra, TV's Code Black), the hot-heads girlfriend, and she is also the impenitence for the fisticuffs. Apparently Richard founds texts on Sasha's phone that signaled that she might be cheating with Jonah. She manages to calm him down, explaining that he's misinterpreted the texts, and then presents him with an early birthday gift, an expensive speargun with a mahogany stock, further indicating the text was an exchange about the gift and nothing more.
Embarrassed by his violent actions Richard is set on making it up to his friends, taking them for a spin on his mob-connected family's pleasure yacht, the pun-tastic Naughty Buoy, he even allows his girl and Jonah to have some reparations, giving them each a free shot at him, which they gleefully take him up on, and his girlfriend has a nasty right-hook! With that argument seemingly put to bed they head for the open waters for some sun and fun, but it's not long before Richard's suspicions again get the better of, confronting Jonah with the gifted speargun, after which things quickly spiral out of control.
There is a disembodied fourth character in the film, a narrator Bret Gelman (Stranger Things) who opens the film playfully exploring the definition of the kinds of friendships, immediately injecting humor into it, but once the film begins it's a tense and wild ride, with a vein of black humor throughout. This narration pops-up throughout the film, always offering a witty observation about the unfolding events, but never overstaying it's welcome, it's pitch-perfect. My hat is off to director Rob Grant (Fake Blood) for scripting a tight thriller that could be executed on a budget but not feel like it's over-stretched beyond it's limitations. There's some creative shortcuts but nothing detracts from the building tension, the characters or the setting, it's a well-crafted bit of suspense that follows a few expected paths but then comes out of left field with more than a few surprises that you won't see coming. That's what made it so stimulating, the wicked streak that propels
it, and the unexpected turns that will spin your head right around.
It's not a bloodbath thriller but the gore we do get is potent stuff, some of which got right under my skin, there's a spreading infection that's sets a bit of a countdown element, and the backstabbing venom from all parties involved is truly exquisite. The only tiny niggle I have with it would be I cannot fathom why you would by someone who is prone to violent outbursts a speargun, that's a total bad idea!
Audio/Video: Harpoon (2019) arrives on DVD & Blu-ray combo from Canadian distributor Black Fawn Distribution. On Blu-ray we get a detailed digitally shot 1080p HD presentation framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. Everything is crisp and vibrantly displayed, fine detail is nicely resolved, the close-ups of faces, clothing textures and gruesome wounds all show pleasing amounts of minutia.
Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround with optional English subtitles. Both tracks are clean and strong sounding with the 5.1 opening up the atmospherics and the effective score from Michelle Osis (Knuckleball) into the surrounds.
Black Fawn Distribution offer up a bunch of extras beginning with three audio commentaries from the director and producers, the DP and the colorist, and another with the director high on mushrooms, I kid you not. We also get 5-min B-roll footage and three deleted scenes all with audio director commentary, and a cool 30-min making of that pulls back the curtain to give a peak at how this excellent indie was made.
The two-disc release comes housed in a standard keepcase with a sleeve of artwork featuring the key artwork with the reveres side featuring an image from the film, both discs feature the same key artwork. The standard slipcover that comes with retail copies features the same art as the wrap, but there is a limited edition slipcover available directly from Black Fawn Distribution, a cool looking retro-VHS design that has a worn look with a selection of nostalgic video rental stickers on it. On the spine of the limited edition slip we get a the film logo on one side and a hand-scrawled logo on VHS-type sticker label. If you're a slip-junkie this is total catnip. More info on Black Fawn's limited edition offerings for this release can be found can be found below.
Black Fawn also offers some cool upgrades for the film, it's also available as a special VIP package featuring the film along with cast autographs, plus the limited edition retro slipcase. The limited edition retro-slipcase is also available by itself for $5.99. These are exclusively available from Black Fawn Distribution’s on-line store at http://blackfawndistribution.com/store
Special Features:
- Behind The Scenes Making-Of (30 min)
- Audio Commentary with Director Robert Grant and producers Michael Peterson and Kurtis David Harder
- Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Charles Hamilton and Colorist Brendan Rathbone
- Psychedelic Commentary with Director Robert Grant
- B-roll Footage of Cast and Crew with Director Commentary (5 min)
- Three Deleted Scenes with Commentary (4 min)
- Trailers (3 min)
- Limited-Edition Retro Slipcase featuring custom artwork only available through Black Fawn Distribution.
Harpoon (2019) is everything I want from a indie-thriller, it's taught and tense, the acting is fantastic, and the humor is pitch black, I loved everything about the film, this comes highly recommended.
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
