Hitchcockian thriller The Wasp turns a muder-for-hire thriller into a crooked extrapolation of how the body keeps score
The Wasp. // Courtesy Shout Factory
The Wasp, out on VOD today, stars Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) in a twisty, turny thriller that plays out better (and meaner) than an audience could expect. Director Guillem Morales takes a tale of crisscrossed plans for malice and delivers on a tight, tumultuous turnabout without fair play.
The Wasp. // Courtesy Shout Factory
Adapted by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm from her acclaimed stage play of the same name, The Wasp is a sharp, twisty tale about two estranged childhood friends, Heather (Harris) and Carla (Dormer), who reunite for a cup of tea after not having spoken in many years. At their meeting, Heather presents a very unexpected proposition—maybe it would benefit them both if Heather’s husband (Dominic Allburn) were to turn up dead.
You know the drill on this one: two people from wildly different worlds try to hash out the perfect crime, and how to get away with it. What The Wasp adds to the mix comes in two forms. The stage play adapted to screen makes for a delightfully intimate game of wits between Harris and Dormer, who make each side glance, stare, and pause feel like an apex point where the wheels could fully fall off the speeding car.
Secondly, The Wasp settles itself neatly in the Yellowjackets genre of reconnecting with childhood friends, only to find out none of your interpersonal shit was ever resolved, and it’s about to bubble back up with a vengeance.
Decidedly worth your time and support early in its run.
The Wasp is available on VOD everywhere starting Oct. 1, 2024.
