Before the last stretch in movies like The Bluff, one almost expects someone to utter the done-to-death line about feeling death in the air. Given that one is watching an action film about pirates set in 1846, this statement seems as clichéd as it is redundant, because by then a good number of body bags have already piled up.

Here, one person chopping up the bad guys is Ercell Borden (Priyanka Chopra-Jonas), the seemingly pedestrian wife of a fishing ship’s captain (Ismael Cruz Córdova), who walks around wearing clothes more appropriate for a supermodel (no one else on her island is nearly as stylishly dressed). Irrespective of her fashion sense, and despite her preference for the mundane, she is a killer — and not just in terms of looks.

Ercell was once the notorious pirate captain Bloody Mary, the cohort, protégé and former lover of Captain Francisco Connor (Karl Urban). In what we assume was a conflicted relationship — thanks to snippets of flashbacks — Bloody Mary escapes with Connor’s gold after stabbing him for good measure.

By the time Connor finds her, she has nearly forgotten her bad old days and is content caring for her disabled teenage son (Vedanten Naidoo) and her young, titillating sister-in-law (Safia Oakley-Green). However, as the pirates invading her house quickly learn, knives, daggers, guns and bombs are barely a stretch of the hand away for Ercell.

The Bluff isn’t as half-bad as one would think, which means it’s not half-good either

I’d been hearing a lot of bad things about The Bluff, and the trailer didn’t inspire much confidence either. However, the movie isn’t half-bad — meaning it’s not half-good either.

The screenplay, by director and co-writer Frank E. Flowers and co-writer Joe Ballarini, was once a hot property that Netflix won at auction in 2021. Initially developed as a Zoe Saldaña vehicle, by 2024, it moved to Amazon MGM Studios, where Chopra-Jonas replaced Saldaña as the lead and also stepped in as a producer. The producing roster also includes Anthony Russo and Joe Russo — of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame fame — who had last produced Citadel, another high-profile Chopra-Jonas action project for Amazon.

Given the backstory and star power, one would assume the movie to be a spectacle worthy of your monthly subscription cost. Screenplay-wise, one would agree — it doesn’t let up. However, direction-wise, the movie needs to up its game. Flowers directs with an unsure hand, forcing his actors to take the lead.

Cinematographically, he often half-pursues shots that could’ve turned out good. Because of this, the editing starts feeling rough and janky at times — though it’s not as bad as most action films; just unpolished. The sound, clumped together and badly mixed, is a major let-down.

Acting-wise, Chopra-Jonas takes a while to settle into the role — her accent and delivery still leave a lot to be desired — so she lets her facial expressions do the heavy lifting. In comparison, her action training pays off in spades.

The Bluff’s main draw is Urban. Adding a touch of Irish flair to his accent, he is deliberately given solo hero shots (ie centre frame, commanding frames) as he delivers his lines with precision. The man does not disappoint, keeping The Bluff from turning into the usual bad fluff one sees on streaming platforms.

Watch it when you have nothing to do, or simply want to watch a forgettable action movie.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Bluff is rated R for bloody violence (it has no nudity). But then, what does one expect from a revenge-action film?

The writer is one of Icon’s film reviewers

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 15th, 2026