With the decline of pirate action-adventure films in recent years, Amazon Prime Video’s The Bluff, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban, attempts to fill that gap with a brutal and immersive experience.
Set in 1846, the film opens with a striking night sequence. Rain falls. Waves crash. Wind howls. Wood creaks. A storm brews. Through it all, Captain Connor’s pirate vessel cuts across the Caribbean Sea. In the chaos, they intercept a merchant ship, Swiftsure, led by Captain Theodor H. Borden (Ismael Cruz Córdova).
The encounter turns violent, leaving Borden with a piece of gold marked with Connor’s pirate brand. The trail leads to Cayman Brac, where Ercell Bodden (Chopra) awaits her husband’s return. Connor follows, intent on settling old scores and reclaiming what he believes is his.
What unfolds is a gradual reveal that Ercell is more than a sailor’s wife caring for her son (Vedanten Naidoo) and sister-in-law (Safia Oakley-Green). Her past begins to surface, shifting the film’s emotional and narrative weight.
Frank E. Flowers’ The Bluff leans heavily on its central performances. Chopra and Urban commit fully to their roles, delivering the physicality and intensity expected of a swashbuckling film. The swords, sails, and close-range combat give the film its energy, even if the story itself struggles to build enough depth to leave a lasting impression.
Connor’s declaration that no one leaves the island until he retrieves his property sets the tone for the film’s brutality. His pursuit of Ercell, whom he refers to as “Blood Mary,” drives the narrative. Urban plays him with a quiet but persistent menace, transforming the island into a battleground.
Amid the violence, the film makes room for quieter emotional beats. Love emerges as a secondary theme, seen in Ercell’s relationship with her husband and her sister-in-law’s attempt to escape with her lover. These moments add some balance, though they are not always fully developed.
The action is one of the film’s stronger elements. From the opening sequence to the close combat scenes, the choreography leans more on blades than spectacle. Compared to older pirate films like The Princess Bride (1987) and Cutthroat Island (1995), The Bluff opts for a more contained and direct approach, focusing on physical confrontation rather than scale.
Visually, the film makes effective use of its setting. The landscapes of Cayman Brac—from its forests to its shoreline, are well captured, reinforcing the film’s atmosphere. The production design and cinematography ground the story, while Henry Jackman’s score supports the tone without overwhelming it.
Chopra’s Ercell is written as a layered character, shifting between roles as mother, wife, and former pirate. When pushed, she returns to her past identity, prioritising her family’s survival. Urban’s Connor, on the other hand, remains singular in purpose, driven by revenge and willing to destroy anything in his path, including former allies.
While The Bluff does not aim for the scale or fantasy of films like Pirates of the Caribbean, its smaller, more contained story works in its favour at times. The focus on personal stakes and a confined setting gives it a different texture, even if it occasionally feels limited.
In the end, The Bluff delivers on action and atmosphere but falls short of becoming a standout. It remains a decent addition to the catalogue of modern pirate films, carried largely by its performances and moments of intensity.
Release Date: February 25, 2026
Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Streaming Platform : Prime Video
Director (s): Frank. E. Flowers
Cast (s): Priyanka Chopra Jones, Karl Urban, Safia Oakley-Green, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Temuera Morrison, Vedanten Naidoo, David Field, Greg Hatton, Pacharo Mzembe, Gideon Mzembe, Zack Morris, and Gary Beadle.