‘The Bluff’: A Waste Of Good Action And A Talented Cast

It has been nine years since the last film in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Since then, there has remained a vacuum in cinemas for a swashbuckling adventure across lands and seas. What made the aforementioned franchise so successful was its iconic main character, creative set-pieces and creatures, memorable antagonists, wicked sense of humour and supernatural edge. Sufficed to say, this remarkable mix of elements would be difficult to replicate so to stand out, a different approach must be taken. The Bluff offers a simpler, stripped back tale of Pirate action, confining its drama to a single island and supposedly allowing for greater focus on character development. The question is, does the film really pull this off? Unfortunately, no.

Released on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, The Bluff is a swashbuckler action film directed by Frank E. Flowers and co-written alongside Joe Ballarini. The film takes place in the 19th century and follows a retired Caribbean pirate Ercell Bodden, played by Priyanka Chopra, living a tranquil life on a remote island. This peace is threatened when her husband goes missing and her home is invaded by Captain Francisco Connor, played by Karl Urban, a pirate with a grudge against Ercell. The film also features Ismael Cruz Córdova, Safia Oakley-Green, Vedanten Naidoo and Temuera Morrison in supporting roles.

The film’s plot is quite simple, meaning that there is little in the way of lengthy exposition dumps and the film wastes little time in getting to the action. This should also mean that the film has ample time to develop its characters and allow for stronger internal conflict. The film does not take advantage of this unfortunately. Any interesting aspect about Ercell’s life and history, primarily her horrific actions of the past, are such strong foundations for great drama, but that is all brushed aside. When she must take up her past identity to fight the enemy, the moment lacks true significance. The plot ultimately serves as nothing more than a vessel for the action, simply filling the gaps between set-pieces with some poorly written dialogue and a few nonsensical plot contrivances that do little beyond forcing in some hollow drama.  

Far too often do the conversations try to sound profound, but the lines often come across as forced and stilted. There is a general lack of chemistry between the cast which is definitely a fault of the script rather than the performances. The dialogue feels underdeveloped as the pirates and islanders do not speak in distinct cadences to allow for the audience to truly distinguish between the factions. A further issue with the dialogue is the frequent need to explain rather than show. Nowhere is this more obvious than with the history between Ercell and Francisco. It is too often stated and reiterated and thus never feels genuine since the film forces it. When the two finally come face-to-face, there is a lack of catharsis.

Regarding the lack of detail, the filmmaking on display, while certainly strong in the camerawork department, the overall set and costume design is lacking. Simple details like saltwater causing skin to dry or sand sticking to faces and outfits appearing soaked and worn would give the world some real depth and authenticity. This is not the case here as the costumes all look pristine and well-crafted, all the actors have clean faces and well-kept hair, even after some brutal fights. It breaks the illusion that this is a living, tangible world with real stakes and is instead a film set. Despite the actors’ performances, this lack of grit and detail means that whatever drama there might be can never truly be taken seriously.

Speaking of performances, they are decently strong. Chopra as the lead certainly attempts to put depth into a shallow character, and brings it in the moments of heavy emotion, but she is too often limited by the script’s need to tell rather than show. Her character’s bluntness and honesty in the face of her sins is interesting, but it does not make for a strong character. At no point does Ercell seem to have shame or regret for her past but that’s likely because the filmmakers have little interest in character beyond being catalysts for action. Chopra absolutely brings the required physicality to the action, and her sequences are the film’s strongest, but the character is a dull lead that squanders the potential she could have had.

The awkward standout is of course Karl Urban as the film’s main antagonist but even he is painfully generic. Once again, this actor is fully capable of being crazy and charismatic, but the film never takes advantage of it. Urban does his best to inject Francisco with as much menace as possible. He is imposing in his action sequences and has one standout scene where he reaffirms the loyalty of his crew with a rousing speech, but he is ultimately just as forgettable as the rest of the film.

There is only one aspect that this film thankfully excels at and that is the action. The first oner perfectly sets the tone for the sequences, and they are all gleefully violent and creative. Each one feels unique, with clever gunplay, fun choreography and cool kills. The action was clearly the filmmakers’ focus and they certainly managed to succeed on that front. The cinematography and editing excel here. The filmmakers know when to maintain a long and steady shot, allowing the choreography to shine. They also know when to increase the pace of the edit, emphasising chaos addition to enhancing the more brutal moments. The only blemish is the film’s big climactic battle which take place in poorly lit caves where it is a struggle to even get a glimpse of the carnage. The film’s final showdown between Ercell and Francisco is certainly a lot of fun as a brutal and increasingly desperate clash but unfortunately becomes bogged down by being overly lit and taking place against an obvious fake background as opposed to taking place on a real location.

Ultimately, The Bluff lacks a true heart or soul. Strong performances and good action can only do so much to save what is a weak script. The plot is basic with little real drama, the sets and costumes are too clean to feel real, and the characters are all one-note. It is a shame as there is real potential in this concept, but it squanders too much in favour of mindless action that, while well-done, is unable to keep this film afloat. The wait for another true swashbuckling blockbuster goes on.