Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre - Movie Review (No Spoilers)
OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE is sexier than the usual adrenaline-fueled actioners Guy Ritchie is known for. The story unfolds in a deliberate way that gives the characters dimension.
The premise is rather complicated and somewhat exploratory so giving the plot time to breathe allows the characters to guide us on an exhilarating journey.
Jason Statham plays Orson Fortune, a spy with an impossible mission. He and his covert team are tasked with going on a worldwide wild goose chase to track down something — -without knowing what that ‘something’ is, who has it, who wants it or what they plan to do with it. All they know is — whatever that ‘something’ is — it’s in the wrong hands.
The cast is humorous and entertaining. Hugh Grant has never been funnier. His accent and makeup add to the comical quality he delivered in “The Gentlemen” in 2020. Here, he’s a tone-deaf billionaire orchestrating an arms deal that will not only pay him handsomely, but that will also grow his charity — Orphans of War.
Josh Hartnett brilliantly portrays an action star playing a decoy whose one job is to not break character, which is a struggle for him because these guns aren’t props.
Aubrey Plaza plays a vixenous tech genius who’s the smartest one in the room without punching down. She steals every scene and has the best one-liners.
Bugzy Malone plays an unsuspecting operative who must stay ahead of a team of rogue spies out to get what his team must find first.
Statham plays a semi-retired spy with a long list of phobias who’s reluctant to go on this mission because he deserves a break from the spy game — a much-needed vacation on the government’s dime. But he must go on this mission because he’s the only man alive who can get that “nondescript something” out of the wrong hands.
Guy Ritchie’s camera work, especially the steady drone shots make what would easily be pigeonholed as a 90s throwback movie more current and savvy.
The action sequences in the first half of the film are dialed down. There’s mostly hand to hand combat during the first half, but the big set pieces are reserved for the final Act, which are explosive and perfectly crescendo to the finale.
The plot point involving Hartnett’s character is reminiscent of Nick Cage’s “Unbearable Weight” from 2022, but Guy Ritchie’s imprint and $50M production budget make this spy comedy wilder and distinctive.
Lastly, the a mid-credit scene is hilarious and worth sticking around for.
All in all, “Operation Fortune” is a good time. See it in theaters for the best experience.
