"The Wasp" entices and enthralls as a sensationally acted two-hander

The Wasp (2024)

Revenge gets methodically mapped out and goes past the point of no return in "The Wasp," a twisty character drama with the tension of a psychological thriller. Written almost as a one-sided "Strangers on a Train," director Guillem Morales’ film is unforthcoming on purpose, only to then switch gears. Not knowing who to root for here is actually one of the film’s most enticing features.

Naomie Harris sinks her teeth into the lead role of Heather, an affluent woman who spends more time trapping wasps than working. She’s also been trying to get pregnant with husband Simon (Dominic Allburn), but their marriage is frigid and sexless. That’s when she decides to take matters into her hands, but it involves an old friend/foe from her childhood. That would be Carla (Natalie Dormer), a brash, street-smart supermarket cashier who’s pregnant with her fifth child. When Heather reaches out to Carla on social media to meet, the desperate Carla obliges. Heather’s proposition? Kill her husband for a handsome amount of money. 

Based on the play by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (who wrote the script), the film rarely ever feels stagey or flat under Guillem Morales’ direction. In fact, the theatrical roots work in the film’s favor. It’s seamlessly edited as the past enters the present, and once the story clicks and narrows in on Heather’s plan (and doesn’t leave her townhouse), the film enthralls as a two-hander chamber piece. It’s a true pressure cooker reliant on Harris’ sensational, show-running performance. Dormer more than holds her own, putting on a tough, formidable exterior, but how Carla is written (and blocked) is less than penetrating, forcing her to be outshone by Harris’ meatier turn. Read the full review at GuyAtTheMovies.com

Grade: B

Shout! Studios released "The Wasp" (99 min.) in select theaters on August 30, 2024.