It’s the end of the pirate era in the Caribbean, and only the strongest and most brutal remain on the seas. They’re a dying breed and will do anything and everything to stay alive and relevant. But they haven’t all just been killed off; many found peace within themselves and have adapted their ways to live and contribute to society.
“The Bluff” is the story of Ercell, a woman played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, living on the island of Cayman Brac and taking care of her family. But when her former Captain and crew come knocking in search of his treasure, they force her hand to defend herself and those that she cares about in ways she wished she didn’t have to revisit.
“The Bluff” (2026) Review | Prime Video’s Swashbuckling Pirate Tale
A Caribbean Face Off Between Priyanka Chopra Jonas & Karl Urban
I was fairly unfamiliar with Priyanka Chopra Jonas before “The Bluff,” and I only know her from watching the film “We Can Be Heroes” with my kids many times. I was pretty surprised by how well she holds herself up as our heroine. She’s a strong lead, keeping this film up despite its flaws. Ercell is fearless, badass and relentless. There is absolutely nothing that will stand in her way of protecting her own.
Enter Captain Conner, portrayed by Karl Urban, who I’ve been a fan of since his start decades ago. Urban has a certain presence that is brought every time he’s on screen. Maybe it’s his stoic face, his quips, or just his overall demeanor, but he’s really hard to dislike. That being said, his character here as our main villain is well done. He’s not too over-the-top, and he brings a sense of meaning and purpose, even if it is of horrible thoughts and doings. This is another well-portrayed character to add to Urban’s resume.
A Simple Plot With Swordfights
The action and swordfights are pretty good. I like a solid swashbuckler film, and it seems like it has been forever since we have gotten one. The choreography is well thought out, but I wanted more of it. There is a lot of dialogue tossed in that felt unnecessary at times, and it brought some of the fight sequences to a halt. Some of the brutality in this was also very unexpected, and there are a couple of kills that had me audibly saying, “Holy shit!” It’s fun when you get surprises like that.
The plot itself isn’t anything to write home about. It’s pretty straight and narrow, which is fine, as we didn’t need a huge twist in this. It’s a pirate movie. I just want to see swordfights, curse-filled banter and beautiful landscaping, and we got two of those three here. That’s not to say there aren’t some good-looking shots in “The Bluff,” but the CGI didn’t look great in certain pieces.
As whole, this was about what I expected it to be: good, not great, with a lot of room for improvement. I think it could’ve benefited from some of the dialogue being cut back. But hats off to MGM and Prime Video for bringing us a genre of film that we haven’t really seen in forever. Who doesn’t like a pirate film?
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