Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre

Guy Ritchie would probably make a great Bond movie, but he doesn't need to, he prefers to play in his backyard, which he knows well, and gives us what we like. This time, don't expect big plot twists, but straightforward action entertainment that kind of combines The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Gentlemen and, apart from Ritchie's more or less visible directorial ideas (I was already impressed by the opening with the footsteps that turn into music), it mainly relies on the performances. Jason Statham is Jason Statham again, but this time in that funny way, Aubrey Plaza is absolutely perfect, and every scene Josh Hartnett and Hugh Grant do together is priceless. This is the kind of cleverly entertaining film I enjoy going to the cinema for the most. (13/01/2023)

Guy Ritchie kind of goes on autopilot and Operation Fortune follows in the footsteps of flashy superficial crap like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. rather than his last cool and functional notches Gentlemen and Angry Man, but it's cool nonetheless. We get a mix of Bond and M:I in typical Ritchie style, but without an interesting main villain, a surprising script and no wow action scenes. The humour and catchphrases are only as fertile as ever, the main characters are practically impossible to care about, and at times it seems as if Ritchie is getting too drunk on his own shots, but the pace is as it should be, and at least it doesn't have an overlong running time, as has been the case with everything lately. (04/01/2023)

After the phenomenal The Gentlemen, my expectations for Operation Fortune may have been too high, but I didn't leave the cinema disappointed. Guy Ritchie's latest is a brisk one-watch action flick with some issues when it comes to the script and (black) humour, but it flows nicely in the cinema, and thanks to the regularly dosed action it doesn't get boring. It was good to see Josh Hartnett in action after quite a long time, but the main driving forces are the cruel Jason Statham and the equally sharp Hugh Grant, for whom such roles just tailor-made. In the end, the film neither impresses nor surprises, but it entertains and thrills, and that's what counts. A weaker four stars! (25/01/2023)

Orson Fortune and his team must prevent the sale of a weapon that could threaten the entire world. To do so, they must get close to a dangerous adversary, and they're going to use a Hollywood superstar to do it. Guy Ritchie delivers an entertaining action-spy comedy that's driven forward by a particularly likeable cast. Unfortunately, they're a bit undermined by a muddled script, which often makes the story pause unnecessarily and deal with irrelevancies, only to have to unnecessarily plunge forward a few moments later. It's not boring, but one expects a bit more from Ritchie and Statham. (12/01/2023)

It is missing some visual highlight, some memorable scene that would make you want to watch it again. But otherwise it is a pretty solid film, and I could easily see Guy Ritchie as the new Bond director, though he probably doesn't even aspire to that, he's comfortable in the company of those weird underworld folks. Hugh Grant is an excellent sleazeball, Jason Statham is just Jason Statham, the same kind of actor that makes us love him so much, and Aubrey Plaza is a sweetheart when she's not all made up and trying to look sexy (she's really bad at that), but the one that was pleasantly surprised me was Josh Hartnett. I don't understand what messed up the career of this fun and charismatic guy, but hopefully after this and Oppenheimer it will get better. (30/03/2024)