Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is finally hitting theaters on March 3rd.
While Guy Ritchie has taken numerous forays into the mainstream with takes on King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes, he feels most at home with British crime capers and his wide array of frequent collaborators. ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ continues Ritchie’s streak of smaller budget pictures in a post-Aladdin career. The result is a fun, globetrotting romp with hard-hitting punches and solid cast chemistry.
Jason Statham stars as Orson Fortune.
He is a super-spy hired by the British government to lead a team tasked with retrieving a tech device known as “The Handle” before it can be sold to the highest billionaire bidder. Fortune reports to Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes), and his team consists of hacker Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and J.J. Davies (Bugzy Malone). To thwart billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds (a scene-stealing Hugh Grant), the team enlists the help of Simmonds’ favorite American actor, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett).
Statham possesses the typical grit and charisma you expect from him, but he’s also completely willing to be upstaged by some of the cast surrounding him. Aubrey Plaza, in particular, is having a great time and delivers many laughs. However, Hugh Grant chews the scenery, delivering a memorable performance as the slimy and nefarious billionaire baddie. Grant has entered the stage of his career where he’s happy to take on the notable supporting character roles, as depraved and ugly as they may be – a far cry from his rom-com days and boyish good looks.
‘While many world-spanning spy movies tend to build up to one big action sequence. Instead, Operation Fortune consists of several smaller missions that keep the pace rolling. While the plot can get a little convoluted and chatty, it’s still easy to grasp the plot thread and enjoy the action and adrenaline. Unfortunately, the final mission and climax are the least interesting and fail to live up to some of the fun sequences that precede them. Ritchie excels at conveying action, and the sound design behind the action guarantees that the audience feels every punch. Fight sequences are well-choreographed and executed, which isn’t much of a surprise when most of it comes from action-veteran Jason Statham.
Verdict
I give Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre 3.5 out of 5 stars. It proves that the worst thing about the film is the title itself. Expectations may have been low, considering it was filmed two years ago. It was supposed to be released over a year ago, and almost didn’t even get a theatrical release. However, it’s finally here, and luckily for audiences, it delivers on its cast and premise in a fun way.
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