The Bluff Review: An Action-packed Pirate Flick That Entertains But Goes Against the Basic Fun of the Genre

RATING – ⭐ ⭐ ✨ 2.5/5

The Bluff Review Movie Talkies:

“They are coming to get Bloody Mary. Bloody is what they're gonna get,” says Mary, aka Priyanka Chopra Jonas, announcing just how badass she intends to be — and yes, it is fun for a while. But the golden rule of pirate flicks feels broken here. A pirate film overloaded with gunshots loses a chunk of its charm; it’s the swords, the humour, the parlays, and the witty conversations that truly complete this genre. Over the years, we have seen classics like Captain Blood (1935), The Princess and the Pirate (1944), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), and the iconic silent swashbuckler featuring Douglas Fairbanks. Those days seem long gone, so perhaps it isn’t entirely fair to blame The Bluff for being modern and somewhat mediocre. In today’s landscape, mediocrity is common currency — so yes, The Bluff is entertaining, but very much a routine watch.

The Bluff Story:

The Bluff follows Mary (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a former pirate who has reformed into a family woman with a husband, sister, and son. Her past soon catches up when Captain Connor (Karl Urban) — the man she once stabbed, betrayed, and robbed — returns seeking revenge, his gold, and perhaps even his woman. With her family now in the line of fire and her husband taken hostage, Mary is forced back into survival mode on the island as Connor and his gang of merciless killers close in. The big question remains: can she handle it her way? Find out in the film.

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The Bluff Film Review:

The film wastes no time setting up the plot but leaves several moments feeling immaturely incomplete. Take the opening scene — Mary senses someone in her sister’s room but neither checks properly nor catches the intruder, which feels oddly convenient. The action sequences rely heavily on familiar clichés: villains who won’t shoot when they clearly can, pausing instead to deliver dramatic dialogue and conveniently allowing the heroin to strike back. One unintentionally funny moment involves armed men failing to kill a crocodile—a sequence that had me questioning their IQ. The husband’s instant forgiveness and sudden burst of bravery also feel formulaic. Yet, despite these flaws, the film maintains a brisk pace and, importantly, doesn’t put you to sleep like Citadel occasionally did. It may feel dated, but it remains a reasonably engaging swashbuckling entertainer — even if guns do most of the talking instead of swords and hand-to-hand combat.

The Bluff Cast:

Priyanka Chopra Jonas continues her search for a truly memorable Hollywood role, and the wait continues with The Bluff. She certainly gets to kick plenty of assses in what is an aggressively physical part, and she performs competently, but nothing here feels particularly iconic. Karl Urban carries the aura of a deadly villain initially, only to fall into predictable territory by the end. Ismael Cruz Córdova has limited screen time but makes a decent impression. Safia Oakley-Green’s pretty face works visually, though her performance could have used more depth. Vedanten Naidoo, meanwhile, looks more like a daughter than a son in certain moments. Temuera Morrison and the rest of the supporting cast are serviceable.

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The Bluff Movie Review:

Technically, the film is fairly adequate. The cinematography is pleasant without being striking, the background score does its job but rarely elevates the drama, and the editing maintains a decent pace throughout. The coastal locations and island sets are visually appealing, thanks largely to the production design. A handful of dialogues do carry whistle-worthy value. Director Frank E. Flowers may have delivered a somewhat dated actioner and arguably missed the core spirit of a true pirate movie, but he never lets the film completely sink — and that itself is a small win. Prime Video often backs projects that feel more suited to home viewing than theatrical spectacle, so expecting grand big-screen magic might be unrealistic. Still, for a one-time small-screen watch, The Bluff offers modest, time-pass entertainment — even if the fun remains limited.

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