See Julianne Moore, John Lithgow and More Caught in a Dangerous Con Game in Tense 'Sharper' Trailer

A dangerous con game is afoot in the trailer for Sharper.

Directed by Golden Globe and Emmy winner Benjamin Caron (The Crown), the Apple Original Films/A24 movie is "a neo-noir thriller of secrets and lies, set amongst New York City's bedrooms, barrooms and boardrooms," according to an official synopsis.

"Characters compete for riches and power in a high stakes game of ambition, greed, lust and jealousy that will keep audiences guessing until the final moment," the synopsis adds of the film, whose trailer PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at.

Sharper follows Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton and John Lithgow "from the penthouses of Fifth Avenue to the shadowy corners of Queens," the synopsis describes. "Motivations are suspect and expectations are turned upside down when nothing is as it seems."

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Caron, 46, tells PEOPLE that working with the star-studded cast was "unilaterally spectacular," saying that every one of them brought "so much wit and feeling to this script."

"Working with Julianne was a dream," he said of Moore, 62. "I've long admired her work on screen, and she is just so assured. Sebastian brings a mercurial, dangerous energy to his role and Justice breaks your heart in the best way. Briana is a star in the making. I'm excited for people to know her name. John Lithgow brings gravitas to every scene."

Expanding on Smith, 27, Caron says, "Justice brings such a sympathetic, easy charm to the role of Tom. His performance is beautifully judged and I really connected to his wonderfully natural, honest style of acting."

"Also, he's just a great guy," the British filmmaker adds. "As Julianne would say, 'He's a sweetie.' "

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Caron tells PEOPLE the movie "is inspired by a long line of great films that love to keep audiences guessing up until the end, including The Usual Suspects, House of Games, Klute, Drive, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Color of Money, The Sting and more."

"Sharper is an original, twisty, character-driven, New York City thriller full of fun surprises," he adds. "It's perfect escapism for this time of year."

Moore is co-producing the film alongside Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Bart Freundlich, Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, from a screenplay by the latter two. Julia Hammer and Amy Herman are executive producing.

Sharper is in select theaters Feb. 10 and streaming on Apple TV+ Feb. 17.