Jonah Naplan April 24, 2023
“Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” is what I think would happen if James Bond was matched with the Fast and the Furious, and also the most iconic, snappy, signature Guy Ritchie movies that made him the director he is today. For all the trademark quips, wits, and gun shots, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” is nothing special at all. But it is incredibly entertaining, often funny, and—I cannot stress this enough—a lot to handle. Beyond your by-the-numbers, hero and villain, globe-trotting spy flick, “Operation Fortune”—I will just refer to it as that for the remainder of this review—is ridiculously ambitious. Sometimes that’s a miracle, and sometimes—especially in the last twenty minutes—it’s a curse.
The second word of this film’s mouthful of a title does not only refer to the privilege that can be bought by the wealthiest people in the film, but it is also the last name of the film’s protagonist, a quick-witted, highly skilled, get-in-and-then-out British agent, Orson Fortune (Jason Statham), the type of biting everyman who is equal parts charming and intimidating. It’s probably just Statham’s tendency to play all of his characters the same, but Fortune screams Deckard Shaw from the Fast and the Furious films—only one of the reasons why I mentioned the esteemed franchise in the above paragraph.
Orson Fortune and other operatives—Sara Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and J.J. Davies (Bugzy Malone)—have been called in by the British government, here ambassed by Nathan (Cary Elwes) and Knighton (Eddie Marsan) to track down a briefcase with mysterious contents inside. The internal organs of this case are apparently so dangerous that they must not, under any circumstances, be put into the hands of drug lords, black market sales people, and arms dealers. The trio’s journey to retrieve this case takes them across the globe—to Madrid, Morocco, Cannes, and even Los Angeles—as a cat-and-mouse game ensues.
Their first order of business is blackmailing movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) in pursuit of getting on an exclusive yacht party harbored by Greg Simonds (Hugh Grant at his most charismatic). The appeal of Francesco’s superstardom is a recurring idea throughout the film, as is the difference between a movie star and a “real” actor. Plaza will act as Francesco’s wife, and the pair ends up getting invited to the starstruck Simonds’ personal residence.
The rest of the film is one repetitive cockamamie scheme after the next, as Orson and his team make advances on the mysterious briefcase. Some are more clever and brilliantly tense than others, but most feel overall uninspired, primarily because of the fact that they really aren’t anything new to me, nor to any person who has ever seen a movie. There is a surprising amount of action in “Operation Fortune,” but Ritchie’s approach to it is only handled well because of the actors involved. Without them, this film would be nil.
Statham in particular does especially fine work here. What he brings to the table in terms of both stunt and acting chops is always refreshing and always welcome. But Orson Fortune is not developed, nor are most of the other characters. Plaza gets her chance to shoot some guns, utilize her hacking abilities, and infiltrate her way into some bad situations and then magically seduce her way out of them. Hartnett starts off as a boisterous and whiny, yet timid celebrity who at least has some considerable character change by the end. His eccentric attitude is not annoying, but it’s clearly something this film couldn’t entirely contain. Malone is given close to nothing to do, other than sit around and stare at GPS screens, barking commands at the actual heroes working with their hands on the battleground.
Peter Ferdinando as Mike, a generic crime lord harboring dark secrets, too, only comes off as a basic evil caricature, with no depth to devolve into anything interesting. Hugh Grant is a wonderful screen presence, but his character only exists for some minor comic relief, and for him to stroll about the screen, drinking in the light of a rich life. I was impressed at first with how stylized the imagery in “Operation Fortune” was, but it eventually spins into trashy, over-the-top presentation in the third act, with car chases, crashes, and gunfights. It really is a Fast and Furious extravaganza, but it doesn’t fit.
So too is the launching of missiles, vicious elevator fights, and implied stakes that are never actually acted upon. Working from a script co-written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, Guy Ritchie’s film is wildly unfocused and sets off to accomplish far more than it actually can. Yes, the dialogue is fast-paced, snarky and biting, but that doesn’t necessarily constitute a story. It’s indicative of what “Operation Fortune” is as a whole: Charming, but not enough.
NOTE: You may notice that my review of this film has been published well over a month after its release. I have decided to broaden my reviewing cap to two months after release, in order to create a greater archive of reviews for the website.