When it comes to knowing who you are and what you are best at – action hunk Jason Statham and breakneck filmmaker Guy Ritchie are prime examples. Rough and tough action, splendid style, dry charm and humor, these two Brits have it nailed down by now. Having collaborated several times before (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, Wrath of Man), they know what they’re getting with each other as do we with their latest globe-trotting spy caper, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Despite offering up some of their guaranteed ruckus, Ritchie and Statham just aren’t the dangerous duo they use to be. There’s a feeling of laziness that sets in that can’t be gotten rid of. Sad to say, the only real ruse going on here is having us think this was going to be something original or surprising.
Statham plays Orson Fortune, a private contractor at the beck and call of the British government for undercover missions the public never needs to know about. This time British agent Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes) sets him up with a new crew comprised of sassy tech expert Sara Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and the lethal all-rounder J.J. Davies (Bugzy Malone). A move that spices up everybody’s spy game as they must pluck from depraved hands an A.I. program worth billions that will wreak havoc across the globe.
Who stole it and who is buying it is unclear, but George Simonds (Hugh Grant), a billionaire arms dealer, feels like a good place to start. Similar to The Gentlemen, Grant relishes in the slimy, showy villainous role with basically the same accent but a spray-on tan to give off an extra glow. Simonds crushes hard on celebrities, so Fortune and team blackmail the biggest movie star there is, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), to capture Simonds attention all the while getting closer to who he’s doing naughty business with. From there, it’s no surprise the more they uncover, the more tussling they will have to do with other highly interested parties that want in on the action.
In the midst of gorgeous locations and a snazzy wardrobe, Ritchie’s signature style makes a comeback after seeing no trace of it in Wrath of Man. The bad news is it’s poorly applied in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre with routine action sequences, halfhearted humor, and cardboard characters. Statham is sleepwalking as he does what he’s been programmed to do, so we look to the rest of the cast for some stimulation on screen. Grant does his part with a delightful Hartnett, playing an oblivious actor who gets swept up in the espionage excitement, being the only other one with some kind of character arc. Plaza should have been the real asset to the movie, yet her role is reduced to beauty and banter and not much else.
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre has all of the ingredients for a classic Ritchie concoction. Though, with predictable and dreary flavors, it spoils what could have easily been a fun and frisky operation from the get-go.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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